Dues pending, operation of mining company suspended

Tribune News Service

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, March 10

The Mining and Geology Department suspended the mining operation along with the dispatch of minerals of M/S Anand Singh and Company with immediate effect. The company was carrying out mining in the Yamuna riverbed at Tikola village in Sonepat district. The mining operation was suspended due to the non-payment of royalty amount, reclamation and rehabilitation (R&R) funds and district mineral funds (DMF) of Rs 43.84 crores, which were pending for a long time.

Hotline launched

Gurugram: Out to curtail the menace of illegal mining in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh, the Mining Department has launched a 24X7 hotline. An appeal has been made to the general public to inform any instance of illegal mining or related suspicious activities on 18001805530. TNS

As per the information, the department had allotted four sites to the private companies for mining in the Yamuna riverbed at Jainpur, Tikola and Asadpur village in 2015.

Complainant Pranayadeep Singh filed a complaint against M/S Anand Singh and Company as it had to pay Rs 45 lakh per month as royalty to the government, but it did not.

He further said the actual pending amount was Rs 77.26 crore, but as per the HC order, the company had to pay Rs 20.32 crore to the government.

The complainant said action was initiated against only one mining company while two more companies owed crores of rupees of the contract money. Following the complaint, Anil Kumar, District Mining Officer, on Thursday suspended the mining operation and dispatch of the mineral at the mining site in Tikola village. In the suspension orders, it was mentioned that the total outstanding amount against the company was Rs 77.71 crore, including Rs 44.84 crore of the contract money, Rs 22.61 crore interest on the contract money, Rs 6.61 crores of the R&R and DMF funds and Rs 3.63 crore of interest on the pending R&R and DMF funds.

But, as per the High Court orders on September 25, 2018, the total outstanding amount was Rs 43.83 crore, including Rs 22.08 crore of the contract money, Rs 14.84 crore interest on the contract money, Rs 4.11 crores of the R&R and DMF funds and Rs 2.79 crore of interest on the pending R&R and DMF funds.

Apart from this, the mining company had not paid due contract money of Rs 2.16 crore and interest Rs 2.84 crore for the un-commerce period.

The department had also directed the company to deposit the amount within 30 days and also warned that if they failed to do so, the contract would be terminated and their security forfeited.

Kumar said the mining operation and dispatch of minerals from the site at Tikola village by M/S Anand Singh and Company had been suspended for the non-payment of royalty amount and other dues. “I joined Sonepat three days ago and saw this file and initiated action against the company and asked them to deposit the government’s money at the earliest,” he added. If a company failed to deposit the pending dues within one month, action would be initiated accordingly, the mining officer said.

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