Pune | Dec 05, 2017: To keep a check on the source of sand used for construction, Pune guardian minister Girish Bapat has decided to send a proposal to the urban development department to make "mining no objection certificate regarding use of minor minerals'" compulsory for real estate developers before a building completion certificate is issued to them.

Local bodies such as Pune Municipal Corporation, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation or the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) will have to ensure that the developer has sought a no objection certificate for use of sand.

Only then will the local authorities issue building completion certificate, Bapat said on the sidelines of the District Planning and Development Council meet held on Monday.

This, he felt, will prevent illegal sand mining and ensure there is no loss of revenue for the state exchequer.

While illegal sand mining is rampant, the no objection certificate will help check the source of sand as well as ensure that royalty is paid to the government.

With sand mining generating a big share of the revenue for the state government, the minister said that unless there are more checks and balances, there will be loss in revenue. The district, which is among the leaders in construction activity in the state, still has to struggle to meet the revenue target.

To ensure that there is proper check, the sand mining department will ready the proposal which will then be placed before the urban development department, the minister said.

The no objection certificate would give a clear idea as to how much sand was used by the developer for construction activity.

The royalty amount for the same will be checked to ensure a transparent system, stated sand mining department officials.

A recently held meeting of the sand mining department also discussed a development plan for the mining-affected areas, which include good roads, issues related to water and various other infrastructure works.

Nearly 55 proposals were reviewed in the district, where development work needed to be carried out.

The council, under the chairmanship of Bapat, reviewed the proposals that were tabled.

The work will be executed under the District Mineral Foundation that has been established under the directions of the central and state government regulation.

The district has 267 mining sites and the committee has given approval for project works worth Rs 310 crore to be executed under different schemes.

It will be executed as per the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana.

(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)