Thiruvananthapuram: The Local Self-Government bodies like panchayats and municipal corporations will be the authority to sanction the removal of soil for the construction of houses with up to 3,000 square feet area from now on.

So far, the Department of Mining and Geological Survey was to permit quarrying and moving soil for house construction. Industries minister P Rajeev said the authority has been handed over to the LSG institutions as part of the amendment made to 5 sections under the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2015.

The royalty fees to be paid to the Government while moving minor minerals including sand and granite stones have been doubled. According to the fee revision, the royalty fees for sand would be Rs 40 per ton in place of Rs 20 per ton, earlier. For granite stones, the fee which was Rs 24 per ton, has been increased to Rs 48 per ton. The cost of the minerals mined illegally has been raised to four times its market price.

New rule, fee effective from today

The new amendment and the royalty fee revision would come into effect from today.

Amendments have also been made to the Kerala State Minerals (Prevention of illegal mining, storage and transportation) Rules 2009. An additional fee would be levied for selling the quarried minerals as value-added products. A concession would be allowed on the condition that the dealer who stocks up the minerals cannot sell it to another dealer. Dealers’ licences would be made mandatory for the crusher units.

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Special permission would be allowed for moving out minerals of less than 150 tons for residential and such uses. The department must be informed if the land is levelled without moving the soil.

Though Minister Rajeev had given the recommendations regarding the estimation of the quantity of the rock, sand, granite, and other minerals and royalty revision for the State Cabinet’s consideration, the other ministers did not get the time to study it in detail. A few ministers opined that it must be approved only after a thorough study as it is a controversial subject.

As it must be implemented from April 1, a sub-committee including the Ministers of Industries, Revenue and Finance was entrusted to study it.

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