Bihar
Mandatory Transit Pass for Minerals in Bihar
- 19 Mar 2026
- 3 min read
Why in News?
The Bihar Government has made it compulsory for all commercial vehicles carrying minor minerals from other states to obtain a Transit Pass before entering the state in order to curb illegal mining, ensure transparency, and increase revenue collection.
Key Points:
- New Transit Pass Rule: Under the Bihar Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2019, the state has introduced a rule requiring all vehicles entering Bihar with minor minerals such as sand, stones, stone chips, morrum, and stone dust to secure a Transit Pass (TP).
- Objective: The move aims to plug revenue leakages, curb illegal mining and transportation, and digitally track mineral movement across borders.
- E-Governance Initiative: Digital tracking of mineral transport through Transit Pass, real-time logging and CCTV monitoring ensures transparency.
- Inter-State Coordination: Regulates cross-border mineral movement from states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
- Environmental Regulation: Helps curb illegal mining and promotes sustainable use of mineral resources.
- Fee Structure: Transaction enforcement includes a regulatory fee: ₹60 per metric tonne if charged by weight and ₹85 per cubic metre if measured by volume.
- Reason: Bihar has seen a massive infrastructure push in recent years — such as the Patna Metro, expressways and major bridges — which has increased the demand for construction materials not sufficiently available within the state.
- Consequently, Bihar depends on imports from neighbouring states like Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
- Impact: The system is expected to increase state revenue, reduce black-market trade, and improve accountability in mineral transportation, though transit fees may slightly raise material costs for construction projects.
| Read More: illegal mining |
