CAG flags non collection of Rs 1.18 crore cess on leases

SHILLONG, March 14: The Comptroller & Auditor General report for the year ended March 31, 2023, reveals a lack of coordination between the Forest and the Mining & Geology departments, resulting in the non-collection of cess amounting to Rs 1.18 crore.
The audit records of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) (Social Forestry & Territorial Division, Nongstoin) from May-June 2023, observed that 16 mining leases were granted up to March 2023.
However, cess amounting to Rs 1.18 crore was not collected from three lessees for certain periods. “The DFO should have instructed the lessees to deposit the cess due before issuance of transport challans (Form H) against each lessee. However, the DFO did not direct the lessees to deposit the cess nor informed the Mining & Geology department to raise the demand for payment of cess against the lessees,” the CAG report noted.
The matter was communicated to the department and the state government in August and October 2023, but the DMR responded that records for payment of cess from January 4, 2019 to December 19, 2019 were not available with the DMR.
As of March 2024, the status of payment of cess by the three lessees remains unknown, the report added.