- विज्ञापन -
Chandigarh, May 6: The Punjab government has officially implemented a new mining policy aimed at tightening regulation, increasing state revenue, and reducing corruption in the sand and gravel mining sector.
Under the revised policy, landowners in Punjab can now extract sand and gravel from their own property without the need for government auctions. This major shift is expected to reduce bureaucratic hurdles and empower individuals directly.
The Policy also introduces fixed royalty rates for sand and gravel, ensuring greater transparency and a steady increase in revenue for the state.
To crack down on illegal mining activities, the government will install surveillance cameras, weighbridges, and RFID tracking systems across all mining sites and checkposts. These measures are expected to enhance real-time monitoring and prevent unauthorised operations.
Officials believe the new policy will lead to a significant drop in illegal mining, while increasing supply to meet public demand. As a result, residents are expected to benefit from more stable pricing and improved availability of construction materials.
The government has expressed confidence that the policy will bring long-term reform to the sector and ensure fair and efficient resource management in Punjab.
While providing information, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema said that today he is going to launch a portal related to the new mining policy. The notification for the policy was issued on April 30. At the time of launching the mining portal, all the details were provided, such as how to submit the form and where to deposit the fees.
Cheema said that during the rule of the Akali Dal and Congress governments, the sand mafia was seen flourishing, and when their (AAP) government came to power, they started working for the people and made it easier to buy sand. A landowner can now do mining and can even give a permit to someone else, with increased royalty. After obtaining an NOC for one acre, an official will inspect how much sand is available, and 25% of the sand royalty will have to be paid in advance.
In the crusher policy as well, anyone can set up a crusher and do mining. Now, a landowner can do it independently. A district-level survey will be conducted, and based on the report, it will be decided where mining can be done. The government will prepare two survey reports every year. After this, the landowner can also apply for mining by submitting a survey request, but before that, environmental clearance will be required. This will put an end to illegal mining, which will also increase revenue.
