Staff Reporter
Guwahati: To streamline illegal or unauthorised mining, storage and transportation of minor minerals, the Assam government has come out with the Assam Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules, 2026. The new rules include several actions, such as putting GPS in vehicles that transport sand, boulders, stone chips, and other minor minerals; marking specific areas for storing these minerals; and adding taxes on vehicles that bring these minerals from Meghalaya, Nagaland, and other nearby states.
Finance department sources said that the state government has amended the rules to remove any lacunae in the system and ensure that revenue from minor minerals goes up. Until now, the suppliers of minerals have been misusing transit passes (TPs) by using a single pass for delivering several truckloads of sand or stone chips to customers. So, the government has introduced the use of electronic transit passes (e-TPs). Every storage licensee will now have to maintain an up-to-date stock register, install CCTV cameras in the stockyards, and use signboards to display the licence number, the kind of minerals stored, and the storing capacity.
The sources further said that trucks carrying minerals into the state from neighbouring states are operating unchecked. To regulate such trucks, the government has imposed a minimum levy so that there is no loss of revenue. By imposing such regulations, the government is keeping track of such trucks and ensuring revenue collection. “Due to the lack of regulations, suppliers are taking advantage of the situation and earning significant profits, but only a small portion of these profits is passed on to consumers. Consequently, a section of such suppliers are opposed to the amendment of minor mineral rules, as they are now operating according to their whims. Rectifying any system may cause short-term inconveniences to the people, but in the long run, they will ultimately benefit. When the government earns revenue, it primarily spends that revenue on public welfare. The government will work to minimise the inconvenience caused to the public. The streamlining of the system is being carried out by the Forest and Finance departments under the direction of the government,” an official source said.
According to the new Rule 38A, (i) every quantity of minor mineral brought into the registered stockyard is covered by a valid mineral transit pass on which royalty or dead rent, as applicable, with GST and other applicable taxes have been paid.
(ii) The quantity stocked at any time does not exceed the storage capacity specified in the licence.
(iii) The storage licensee shall, for every despatch of minor mineral from the registered stockyard through the electronic transit pass system provided by the government, have a valid electronic transit pass. No minor mineral shall be removed from the stockyard without a valid e-TP.
(iv) An authorised officer or a competent authority of the state government may enter and inspect the stockyard, examine the register and e-TPs and verify the CCTV and weighbridge records.
Amendment of Rule 63 says that any person undertaking the transport of minor minerals with a valid GST-paid invoice and accompanied by a valid transit pass or e-TP shall be deemed to be indulging in illegal transportation of minerals and shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions.
The amended rules also state that any vehicle carrying minor minerals without registered GPs will be penalised for illegally transporting them. And if any vehicle is caught with minor minerals and a forged TP, the transport will have to cough up a Rs 2 lakh fine.
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