Shillong: A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed a significant lapse in the registration of two mining leases in Tura, Meghalaya, resulting in the evasion of stamp duty and registration fees amounting to Rs 32.90 lakh.

According to the CAG report, the District Registrar in Tura failed to register the two mining leases, allowing the lessees to operate without paying the required stamp duty and registration fees.

The case was reported to the District Registrar in November 2022 and intimated to the state government in July 2023.

The report highlighted that after the death of the primary leaseholders, Diwan B Marak and Manoranjan Sangma, their successors, Kember B Marak and Jenmi Marak, respectively, applied for the transfer of the mining leases. However, the transfers remained pending due to incomplete application forms and non-registration of the leases.

Despite the lapse, the lessees continued to operate the mines, with transport challans issued in the name of the deceased lease holders and royalty disbursements made in their names.

The CAG report stated that this was in contravention of Rule 21 of the Mineral Concession Rules, 2016, and Section 17 of the Indian Registration Act, 1908.

The CAG recommended that the state government take immediate action to register the mining leases and recover the evaded stamp duty and registration fees.