Chandigarh: In a recent order, Punjab and Haryana High court has stayed the collection of royalty and penalty from vehicles carrying mining materials from other states into Punjab.
Earlier Rs 7 per cubic feet was charged from the vehicles that brought extracted materials into the state. If records and documents were found correct then the money was returned after one month.
Now The Punjab-Haryana High Court has stayed collection of royalty and penalty recovery from vehicles bringing mining materials from Haryana and Himachal under the mining policy of the Punjab government.
Along with this, on the petition of the Stone Crusher owners, the Punjab government and other defendants have been issued a notice and ordered to file a reply. While filing the petition, Baba Zorawar and other stone crushers owners have challenged the mining policy of the Punjab government in the High Court.
It has been told in the petition that due to this policy, their money which should be invested in business gets stuck for a month. Along with this, the Punjab government has also imposed an environmental management fee of Rs 1 per cubic feet. The petitioner asked how this recovery can be done when materials have been brought from outside states and mining is not done in Punjab.
The petition stated that after mining in Haryana and Himachal, the mining material is brought to the crusher zone in Punjab after proper taxes and paying GST. In such a situation, this type of additional payment cannot be considered correct. Along with this, the Punjab government has set a limit for the sale of mining materials, which they have no right.
After hearing the plea of the petitioner side, the High Court has issued a notice to the Punjab government and other defendants on the petition and ordered the reply. At the same time, royalty and penalty recovery have been banned from vehicles presenting appropriate documents till the next hearing.