The State Government of Karnataka has issued the Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules, 2020 to further Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1994.
Following amendments have been made to Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1994:
• A new sub-rule Rule 3B(5), has been inserted which specifies that the lessee shall dispatch minor minerals along with Royalty Exempted Minerals Dispatch permit, namely:- “Notwithstanding anything contained in this rule, those lease granted under the sub-rule (1), during the lease period, the lessee shall dispatch minor minerals along with Royalty Exempted Mineral Dispatch permit to be issued by the concerned Deputy Director or Senior Geologist duly mentioning the details of works, place of activity and name of the Work Executing Department for transportation of minor minerals from the leased quarry”.
• A new sub-rule Rule 3E(4) has been inserted which specifies the procedure for the discovery of a new mineral, which states, “If new mineral so discovered under sub-rule (1) is specified minor mineral, the lessee or licensee is entitled to win and dispose the discovered minor mineral for a period of thirty years from the date of original grant of lease or licence or ten years from the date of inclusion of the discovered mineral to original lease deed or whichever is later”.
• Rule 19A, which specifies the transfer of mineral concession, which states, “The lessee or licensee shall not, without the previous consent in writing of the competent authority:
1. assign, sublet, mortgage or in any other manner transfer the lease or license or any right, title, or interest therein.
2. enter into or make any agreement or bona-fide arrangement, contract or understanding whereby the lessee or licensee will or may be directly or indirectly financed to a substantial extent by or under which the quarrying operations or undertakings will or may be substantially controlled by, any person or body of persons other than the lessee or licensee.
• Rule 31R(xii) has been substituted which specifies the actions to be taken if sand is transported illegally, which states, “If sand found to be stored or transported illegally shall be seized and confiscated by any member of the District or Taluk Sand Monitoring Committee through a mahajar and be handed over to the Public Works Department or any other department as decided by the District Sand Monitoring Committee who in turn dispose the same to the Central or State Government works at the rate as fixed by the District Sand Monitoring Committee with computerized mineral Dispatch Permit issued by the Department of Mines and Geology of the Concerned District”.
• In Rule 32(9), following proviso shall be inserted which specifies the grant for quarrying license, which states, “Provided that, if no recommendation is received from the District Task Force Committee within forty five days from the date of receipt of no objection certificates, recommendation for grant of quarrying licence shall be deemed to have been made by the District Task Force Committee”.
