TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The government has collected Rs 145-crore transport cess from 29 mining leases, for which lease deeds have already been signed. These leases will be operational for a period of 20 years.
The transport cess of 108 mining leases amounting to Rs 220 crore was due since 2006. Mining companies are charged Rs 20 per metric ton of ore since 2008. From 2006 to 2008, they were charged a cess of Rs 2 per metric ton of ore laden on trucks.
A senior official said that a total of 29 mining leases have paid Rs 145 crore transport cess. The Transport Department is expecting another Rs 100 crore in the next few days.
Transport department had in 2012 issued notices to around 54 mining lease holders for payment of transport cess. However, the companies went to court seeking a stay on the issue.
Accordingly, last year Directorate of Transport wrote to Mines department informing them about the dues that had to be paid by the mining companies. The department was very clear that failure to pay dues would force the department not to issue No Objection Certificate for transportation of iron ore.
