Surguja District Collector R Prasanna has directed officials to make the prescribed royalty payments on minor minerals to the concerned panchayats in the district. He informed that the Gram panchayats, Janpad panchayat and Zila panchayats are free to mine minor minerals on Government land for undertaking public works. However, Prasanna made it clear that no Government contractor is although allowed to mine minor minerals in the panchayats where the latter are free to mine such minerals.