Section 10 in The Punjab Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1964
10. Priority.
(1)Priority in granting mining lease shall be given to the following:(i)First priority shall be given to the discoverer of the new mineral;(ii)Second priority shall be given to a person who intends to set up a mineral-based industry in the State, and(iii)third priority shall be given to a co-operative society :Provided that where two or more persons of the same category have applied for a mining lease in respect of the same land, the applicant whose application is received earlier shall have a preferential right for the grant of the lease over an applicant whose application is received later :Provided further that where such applications are received on the same day, the Government after taking into consideration the matters specified in sub-rule (2) may grant mining lease to such one of the applicants as it may deem fit.(2)The matters referred to in the second proviso to sub-rule (1) shall be the following, namely -(a)experience of the applicant in mining;(b)financial soundness, stability and special knowledge of geology and mining of the applicant, and(c)special knowledge of geology and mining of the technical staff already employed or to be employed for the work.(3)The Government, may for special reasons to be recorded in writing, grant a mining lease to an applicant whose application is received later in preference to an applicant whose application is received earlier.(4)[ The State Government may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, and communicated to the applicant, refuse to grant or renew a mining lease over the whole or the part of the area applied for] [Sub-rule (4) added by GSR 32, dated 22.2.1996.].
