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Jharkhand moves SC, challenges auction of coal blocks for commercial mining
The chief minister said they had requested the Centre to put the exercise on hold in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but now they have decided to explore legal options as they did not get any adequate response from the Union government.
The Jharkhand government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s decision to auction coal blocks for commercial mining, chief minister Hemant Soren said on Saturday.
The chief minister said they had requested the Centre to put the exercise on hold in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but now they have decided to explore legal options as they did not get any adequate response from the Union government.
Soren told reporters that the state government has moved the apex court as it is a huge policy decision and there was a need to take into confidence the respective state governments.
“Mining has always been a contentious issue in the state. After a long time, a new process is being adopted, which will reinstate the system out of which we came out. Even in the existing system, the locals, landowners could not get their rightful entitlements. There are several issues related to land and displacement in the state,” Soren said.
“Several trade unions are out on the streets against the decision. We had requested the Centre not to take any decision in haste. But since we did not get any response to show that the process put in place is transparent and in the interest of the state, we decided to move SC,” he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the auction of 41 coal blocks under the new regime, under which private miners would be sharing revenues with the government.
The blocks are located across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra.
Soren said the union government should have got a fair assessment of adverse social and environmental impact conducted in the state before implementing the new policy.
“It seems the Centre is doing this in haste. It is difficult to understand as the entire world is under lockdown. The Centre is expecting foreign investment, but there are several issues including curbs on foreign travel now. Currently, the demand is also low as many industries are shut. So, I don’t find this process of any help now,” Soren added.
