The Orissa government intends to scale up vigilance to check illegal mining and transportation of minerals and improve collection of revenue from this sector.
The measures being taken to achieve this objective include strengthening the state level enforcement squad to check illegal trade in minerals.
The state government has decided to depute additional police force to the squad. Besides, it proposes to print all required transit passbooks at the government press and set up more weigh bridges in important mines area to check illegal transport of minerals.
These measures will plug the leakages in collection of revenue from mining and mineral trade and raise the collections, said steel and mines minister, Raghunath Mohanty.
Responding to an adjournment motion on loss of revenue due to the fake transit permit and tax evasion in Joda-Bamberi express highway, Mohanty said, the mining lease (ML) holders obtain transit permit from the concerned mining circle office. They also use transit pass to send the minerals to destinations. The mining circle provides authenticated transit passes for transportation of minerals by the lessees.
The minister however, admitted that due to non-availablity of required volume of transit passbooks from the Orissa government press, authenticated transit books have been used in certain areas. So it is not correct to say that transit books printed outside will cause loss of revenue.
He said, the state will not loose revenue as despatch of minerals is controlled by transit permit and transit pass. On the other hand, royalty is also collected on the despatch of minerals.
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Referring to the alleged evasion of toll taxes on 18 km long Joda-Bamebari express highway, Mohanty said, toll tax at the rate of (Rs 0.40) per tonne is collected from all the vehicles passing through the road. The deputy director of mines has been entrusted with the task of collecting the toll tax.
The owners seek permission from the joint director, mines, about the quantity of minerals to be transported and route of transportation. Earlier, the opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that the state government is loosing thousands of crores of rupees due to the use of fake transit permit by some vested interests.
Though the state government is talking about value addition of minerals, it is yet to frame a mineral policy of the state. He demanded constitution of a separate directorate of enforcement comprising of a reputed IAS officer, a police officer and a senior official of the forest department. To start with, the state government can set up regional enforcement directorate in locations like Raygada, Keonjhar, Jharsuguda, Angul and Talcher.