Stalemate continues among ministries over forest areas open for mining

NEW DELHI: Environment minister Jairam Ramesh's offer to increase the areas open for mining to 71%, made at the group of minister (GoM) meeting on Thursday failed to cut ice with coal minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal. This is a 12% increase in "go" area over the previous offer made by the environment ministry. The coal ministry is still pushing for the abandoning of the "go/no go" classification. The group will meet again after two to three weeks, after the Assembly elections.


In a spirit of compromise, Ramesh understood to have also offered that the classification would not be restrospective. This would mean that proposals that have received stage-I forest clearance before December 31, 2009 would be considered even if they are in no-go areas. This would ensure that the "go/no go" classification is prospective. With the coal minister clamouring for more forest land for mining, Ramesh is also understood to have offered that all proposals falling in the "no go" areas would be taken up by the forest advisory committee for scrutiny. If possible a compromise would be worked out; however, in cases where a compromise would not be possible, Ramesh is believed to have offered to bring the proposal, along with his ministry's recommendation for rejection, to the Cabinet for consideration.


However, none of the compromises were acceptable to the coal ministry. Jaiswal's unwillingness to accept a compromise solution did not go down well with finance minister pranab Mukherjee, who heads the GoM. Mukherjee is believed told the coal minister that he couldn't change his mind about the exercise simply because the results were "not comfortable". The "go/no go" excercise was taken up in June 2009 at the coal ministry and Coal India's behest to expedite forest clearances.


Power minister Sushilkumar Shinde wanted a special dispensation for the ultra mega power projects, a move that had the support of the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.