Jamshedpur: Jharkhand government on Saturday transferred the right of auction of sand ghats of the state to panchayats. The state Cabinet gave approval to a proposal to the effect during a meeting yesterday.
As much as 80 per cent of the revenue earned through sand lifting at riverbanks will go into the bank accounts of panchayats while the remaining 20 per cent will go into government�s kitty. The panchayats will development villages coming under their jurisdiction with the help of the revenue so collected.
The panchayat secretary will be authorized as the signatory in auction and other procedures. District panchayat officer and Zila Parishad will be authorized to give environment and sanitation clearance, sources said.
Sources said the state government had consulted the Attorney General on the issue of giving rights to panchayats on sand auction and mining in the state. The Attorney General had suggested handing over the rights to panchayats and had also said that pollution-related norms be followed in the rules formed in the course of handing over such rights to panchayats so as not to contravene court orders.
Surprisingly, the significant development on sand auction rights transpired without much effort on part of the state government to publicize the same.
Sources said the tenders on auction of sand ghats across the state had expired on 31st March last. Hence the tender process was not going to hinder the decision taken by the government on giving sand ghat auction rights to panchayats.
It may be mentioned here that the government had given the responsibility of managing sand ghats in the state to Gram Sabha in the year 2001 citing PESA provisions. Gram Sabha was also authorized to issue tenders for sand ghats as per the rules formulated in 2004.
The government, later in 2011, made a provision to conduct bandobasti of sand ghats through government auction system. However a controversy later resulted in revocation of the process. In 2013, the mining Secretary ordered bandobasti of sand ghats through bandobasti (auction). Mumbai-based companies were given sand ghat contracts which snowballed into a major political controversy in the state. The controversy also resulted in a prolonged locking of horns between Chief Minister Hemant Soren and former state Cabinet minister Chandrashekhar Dubey alias Dadai Dubey.
In other important decisions, the state Cabinet decided to increase Dearness Allowance of state government employees getting non-revised payscale besides deciding to set up a software technology park in Jamshedpur, make Sariya (in Giridih) a sub division and include in it Birni, Bagodar and Saria blocks provide Rs 3 lakh compensation to acid attack victims.
No decision could be taken by the Cabinet on the appointment of chairman of three electricity companies in the state formed with the disintegration of Jharkhand State Electricity Board. Several other amendments were also given nod by the Cabinet.
