Former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday said the MMDR Act will serve the interests of the state as well as the nation, even as the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader hit out at the ruling INDIA bloc in the state alleging that the JMM-Congress alliance was misleading people by spreading confusion regarding the Act.
“The BJP criticises the attempt of the JMM and the Congress to mislead people by spreading confusion regarding the Act,” Das said, while addressing media persons at the BJP state headquarters here.
He alleged that the ‘loot of coal, sand and stone’ was rampant in various districts of the state, including Dhanbad, Bokaro, Chatra, Hazaribag, Sahebganj and Dumka.
“The newly amended Act will serve the interests of the state as well as the nation. It will curb illegal mining and promote legal mining with transparency, which will provide maximum benefit to the state. Ninety per cent of the total tax that comes from the mining sector goes to the state and the practice will continue,” he said.
Das said apart from royalty, the Centre has also introduced a DMFT fund for the development in mining-affected areas in 2015. Das said the Centre has approved 34 coal blocks in Jharkhand, but only four are operational at present.
“The state government could not yet start operations in the remaining 30 coal blocks, which shows the lack of seriousness of the state. Similarly, out of 15 iron ore mines, only six are operational, and only 17 out of 37 bauxite mines are active. Had these blocks and mines been operational, the state would have generated substantial revenue,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The state government could not yet start operations in the remaining 30 coal blocks, which shows the lack of seriousness of the state. Similarly, out of 15 iron ore mines, only six are operational, and only 17 out of 37 bauxite mines are active. Had these blocks and mines been operational, the state would have generated substantial revenue,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The former CM said that the JMM-Congress government “cries about the cess” of ₹11,000 crore, but it actually impacted the production as well as the revenue.
“According to government data, the coal production in Jharkhand stood at 44.78 million tonnes in the first quarter (April-July) of the 2024-25 financial year, but it dropped to 37.25 million tonnes during the same period in 2025-26,” he said.
Das said Jharkhand’s coal and iron have already become costlier due to the imposition of cess, leading to a reduction in their demand.
“Coal ranging from Grade 8 to Grade 12 is available in Jharkhand at rates between ₹2,045 and ₹3,212 per tonne, whereas in Odisha and Chhattisgarh, it is available at rates ranging from ₹1,514 to ₹2,681 per tonne,” the BJP leader said.