Chandigarh 11 August : To offer construction materials at an affordable cost and increase revenue The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday voted to amend the Sand and Gravel Mining Policy of 2021.A decision in this regard was adopted at the last meeting of the Council of Ministers chaired by the Chief Minister here.
A spokesperson from the Chief Minister’s Office said this initiative will rationalize the policy on sand and gravel with the intention of providing relief to the consumers on the one side and increase revenue to the exchequer on other.
In accordance with this policy the royalty of the amount of 2.40 per cubic foot will remain identical to the one previously.Revenues collected by the Information and Technology Department and weigh bridge head 10 rupees per cubic foot and will be placed in the State Exchequer instead of being retained by the contractor currently.
The department will make payment of the bills incurred by contractors who operate the weigh bridge in accordance with the terms of the contract.This will allow the department to automatize the entire operation of weighbridges and reduce the risk of mining that is illegal.
The main burden on consumers comes from transport costs, the department will develop an app for mobile devices that connects transportation companies with consumers.The prices will be set by the Transport Department.
Instead of the previous procedure of the issuance of K-2 permits the surcharge of five rupees per square foot will be imposed by the authority who approves plans for building the construction of basements is planned.the resulting revenue is collected by the respective local bodies and town planning authorities , and deposit it in the department.
This is not applicable to residential homes of any size or any other construction on plots of that is up to 500 square feet.The royalty rate of ordinary clay and normal earth will be 10 rupees per ton for commercial use other than brick-kilns.
In a different decision, the Cabinet issued a green light to rationalize the crushing policy with the intention of providing relief to consumers while simultaneously generate more revenue for the state exchequer.
According to the updated policy crushers will be given an area for mining of five acres or a multiplier of five hectares in order to stop illegal mining.
However, it is not obligatory for all crushers to utilize these sites.A green fund with a amount of Re 1 for every cubic foot is applied to the material that is the output of the crusher to boost the income of the exchequer of the state by around the sum of Rs 225 crore.
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