Forest Minister Vikram Usendi informed the State Assembly that a total of Rs 220.9 crore is outstanding as 'permit fee' for transportation of minerals with 10 companies operating in the State.
In a written reply to a question raised by Congress member Mohammed Akbar, the minister said that till February 15 last a sum of Rs 4.14 crore was outstanding as permit fee from four establishments for the mineral extracted from the forest areas of the State.
He said that during 2012-13, the amount collected as permission fee for mined minerals and their transportation from leased establishments were -- NMDC Hyderabad (30,16,30,938), Godavari Power Raipur (17,51,908), SECl Bilaspur (79,34,531), OCl India ltd Rajgangapur (Rs one lakh).
Usendi said that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its 2009-10 report had raised objections regarding non-collection of permit fee and non-issuance of permits during transportation of minerals from the converted forest land.
As per the information available from the Mineral Resources Department, between June 2002 to September 30, 2012, a preliminary estimate had been made for collection of permit fee based on the amount of minerals transported from reserved and conserved forest land.
As per estimates made by the Mineral Resources Department, an amount of Rs 144.62 crore was pending as permit fee for transportation of 20.66 crore tonne of iron ore with NMDC, Hyderabad.
The outstanding permit fee of other companies and individuals for transportation of minerals are -- Sarda Energy, Raipur (52.30 lakh), Bhilai Steel Plant (Rs 31.54 crore), Jeevanlal Jain, Bhanupratappur (Rs 10.49 lakh), Godavari Power, Raipur (Rs 1.13 crore), Jaiswal Nico, Raipur (Rs 76.28 lakh), OCl India, Rajgangapur (Rs 17.64 lakh), Monnet Ispat , Raipur (Rs 1.51 crore), Prakash Industries, New Delhi (Rs 11.6 lakh) and SECl, Bilaspur (Rs 40.40 crore), he said.
Similarly, permit fee of Rs 220.90 crore is outstanding for transportation of 31.55 crore tonnes of iron ore, coal and quartzite from the forest areas, Usendi said. Generally, in a mining area apart from forest land, revenue forest, revenue region and private region is also present. As a result, the process of taking out mining-wise final estimate for minerals mined in forested area is underway, he said.