State coal & limestone business needs licences from DGM as well

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The business in coal and limestone in Assam involving 500 MT annually for commercial purposes is in for a licencing regime in the Directorate of Geology and Mining (DGM). Now on this business in the state needs a dealer licence from the Directorate of Geology and Mining.

Earlier, traders and others carried out this business with trade licences from the local authorities and permissions from the Industries and Commerce Department.

The Directorate of Geology and Mining took this policy decision recently in sync with the provision to this effect in Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. The Directorate did not follow this rule over the years as it had not framed the rules under this Central Act. Now the state government has framed the Assam Minerals Regulation and Dealers Rules.

If someone does this business involving 500 MT of coal and limestone or more annually without any dealer licence from the Directorate of Geology and Mining, it will treat that illegal.

The dealers of this business will have to register with the Directorate as well. It will make the Directorate get a database of such dealers, besides augmenting revenue.

Brick kilns using coal, coal industries, tea gardens using coal, coke industries, cement manufacturing industries using coal etc., will also have to obtain dealer licences from the Directorate of Geology and Mining.

Also Read: Acute coal shortage hits many tea gardens across Assam

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