Chandigarh February 9: While considering difficulties faced by the mining sector in the state due to COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed by Government of India and considering the same as a case of natural calamity and force majeure, the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Lal has announced to waive of the dues on account of contract money / dead rent and Rehabilitation and Restoration (R & R) fund for the period from March 25, 2020 to April 19, 2020 from all such mineral concession holders who were operating mines at the time when lockdown was imposed.
Mr Manohar Lal who was presiding over a first-of-its-kind meeting with the mining contractors of the State here today said that the same will be subject to the condition that the proportionate production for said 26 days is reduced from approved capacity. The Mines and Geology Minister, Mr Mool Chand Sharma was also present in the meeting.
The Chief Minister further announced that the interest on non-payment of the pending dues, if any, pending as on March 24, 2020 for the period 26 days would also be waived off, as a one-time relief package.
He said that mining contractors/ lease holders in case of seeking surrender (Un- conditional request) of lease/contract will be allowed the same subject to condition that they submit an application with No dues certificate up to the calendar month and also pay surrender fee equal to one-month dead rent/ contract money as surrender fee. However, such surrender fee would be equal to two months dues in case applications are submitted during June 1 to September 15 (Monsoon period).
He said that in case of fresh mines to be auctioned the condition/ rule for increase of annual dead rent/ contract money after every three year period of lease/ contract would be 10 per cent instead of existing rate of 25 per cent . Apart from this, the rate of interest on delayed payment of government dues would be reduced from 21 per cent per annum to 12 per cent annum, he added. He said that the mining contractors/ lease holders will be given the option to furnish security of an amount equal to 25 percent of annual dead rent/ contract money in the form of Fixed Deposit.
The Chief Minister said that the riverbed mining contractors would be allowed to stock mineral within contracted areas up to 3 times of average monthly production as against the existing limit of 2 times of average monthly production. He said that the government will examine the feasibility for upfront fixing of the amount of compensation to be paid to the landowners in case of riverbed areas. However, in case of Panchayat land the same will be 10 per cent of the annual dead rent/ contract money.
He said that the provisions for grant of Mineral Dealer Licence for stocking of mined mineral/ un-processed mineral for persons other than contractors would be further examined to explore the feasibility to allow the same only in the outer periphery of the town/ city. The minimum distance from mines for mineral dealer licences would also be increased to 5 kms from source as against the existing limit of 1km . He assured that the provisions related to suspension of mining for non-payment of dues would also be examined to ensure early decision on the action for termination of same for non-payment despite notice.
Among those present in the meeting included Chief Secretary, Mr Vijai Vardhan, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr V. Umashankar, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment and Climate Change, Mrs Dheera Khandelwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Mines and Geology, Mr T .C. Gupta, Chairperson, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Mrs Deepti Umashankar, Director General, Mines and Geology, Mr. A. Sreenivas and other senior officers of the State Government.