Districts like Mahendragarh, Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rewari, Palwal, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Mewat are adjacent to Rajasthan, from where a large quantity of minerals is transported.
New Delhi: In a major move, the Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana government has decided to implement an Interstate Transit Pass (ISTP) on vehicles transporting minerals into the state. The main motive behind this decision is to increase the revenue by imposing a tax on mineral-laden vehicles and to reduce damage to roads. It is expected that Haryana will generate more revenue from mineral-carrying vehicles coming from other states.
It is important to note that the move may also lead to a rise in mineral prices, resulting in higher expenses for the public in building construction and other works. Earlier, there was no tax on mineral vehicles, due to which thousands of trucks frequently crossed the state borders, causing damage to the roads. Meanwhile, other states had already been imposing such taxes on mineral vehicles. Keeping this in view, the Haryana government enforced ISTP starting from August 2.
Here are some of the key details:
- Under ISTP, a tax of Rs 100 per metric ton is levied on vehicles bringing minerals inside the state borders
- Rs 20 per metric ton on vehicles transporting minerals outside the state.
- Earlier, vehicle operators used to pay only the Rs 20 tax, which resulted in lower revenue for the government.
- From August 19, the government has imposed a uniform tax of Rs 80 per metric ton on all vehicles, which is expected to increase revenue.
- Districts like Mahendragarh, Sirsa, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rewari, Palwal, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Mewat are adjacent to Rajasthan, from where a large quantity of minerals is transported.
- Narnaul shares its boundary with Rajasthan on three sides, from where gravel, dust, stones, and sand are extracted.
- Trucks loaded with minerals come out from Khetri, Sikar, and Jaipur.
- Mining activity is also significant in Faridabad.
- Mineral-laden vehicles entering Haryana from Rajasthan are strictly monitored by the Narnaul mining department.
As per the District Mining Officer Anil Kumar, preparations are being made to identify border areas and set up checkpoints following the government’s order. So far, vehicles operating without ISTP have been fined around Rs 10 lakh. Since the implementation of ISTP, the Mining Department has received approximately Rs 40 lakh in revenue.
