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National Mineral Policy 2006 - Department of Mines

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Duration <strong>of</strong> Concessions1.48 In the MMDR Act, the durations for which RPs, PLs, and MLs may be granted orrenewed are as follows:7. (1) The period for which [a reconnaissance permit or prospecting licence] may be granted shall notexceed three years.(2) A prospecting licence shall, if the State Government is satisfied that a longer period is required toenable the licensee to complete prospecting operations be renewed for such period or periods as thatGovernment may specify:Provided that the total period for which a prospecting licence is granted does not exceed five years;8. (1) The maximum period for which a mining lease may be granted shall not exceed thirty years:Provided that the minimum period for which any such mining lease may be granted shall not be less thantwenty years.(2) A mining lease may be renewed for a period not exceeding twenty years.1.49 At present, the maximum period allowed for exploration is eight years, <strong>of</strong> which threeyears is for reconnaissance (RP) and five years is for prospecting (PL). It has beenrepresented to the Committee that five years is not enough for doing proper detailedexploration work, especially when dealing with deeper or hidden ore bodies. This is adisincentive as the PL holder runs the risk <strong>of</strong> a wasted investment, as he has to stop work atthe end <strong>of</strong> the PL period even if more exploration is warranted. In a study into the prospectingrecords <strong>of</strong> 52 mines worldwide, the average length <strong>of</strong> time required to explore for anddevelop a mine was found to be in excess <strong>of</strong> 10 years. 7 Investors in exploration have,therefore, been requesting that the initial term <strong>of</strong> the RP be increased to five years, with theright to apply for an extension for a further period <strong>of</strong> five years. However, the concern hasalso been expressed that an unduly long RP could lead to an area being held up withoutserious exploration work being done. Besides, mine development is expected to be done as apart <strong>of</strong> the ML rather than PL and hence a period <strong>of</strong> 10 years may not be warranted.1.50 In view <strong>of</strong> the above, the Committee recommends that while the total period <strong>of</strong>exploration under RP/PL or RP/LAPL may remain the same, i.e. a maximum <strong>of</strong> eight years,7 James Otto and John Cordes (2002), The Regulation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Mineral</strong> Enterprises: A Global Perspective onEconomics, Law and <strong>Policy</strong>, Rocky Mountain <strong>Mineral</strong> Law Foundation 9191, Sheriden BLVD Street 2003,Westminster, CO 80031, USA.34

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