NGO terms Coal ordinance as 'anti-people', asks MPs to oppose

NEW DELHI: Seeking to enlist the support of Parliamentarians against the Coal ordinance, an NGO from Chhattisgarh has termed it as anti-people and claimed that it only serves the interests of the corporates.

"The Supreme Court had clearly elucidated how mining and utilisation of valuable natural resources should strictly be driven by national interests...this was a historic opportunity for the government to devise visionary, long-term strategies to utilise valuable natural resources in the interests of the nation...however, with undue haste, it has come up with The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill to completely nullify the effect of the Supreme Court judgement," Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan has written to all the MPs.

It alleged that the measure not only fritters away this historic opportunity to sincerely reflect and come up with a visionary legislation but moves decisively against the national and peoples' interests in favour of the industry and the corporate.

It claimed that the measure opens up commercial mining for sale and private profit and violates the Coal Mines Nationalisation Act.

Alleging that the legislation attacks the federal structure, the NGO said the role of state governments has been reduced to mere rubber stamps.

"This will also result in large scale displacement and violation of rights of marginalised adivasis and poor farmers...we, therefore, urge you to strongly condemn this while proposing an alternate legislation that is more in-tune with the peoples' interests," it wrote.