Jharkhand industrialisation suffers on non-utilisation of iron ore, coal

The first decade of Jharkhand’s existence has gone waste as far as utilisation of iron ore and coal reserves is concerned. A recent research study prepared by K S Ramachandran on behalf of the J K Business School (JKBS), Gurgaon, states, that due to the prolonged impasse in clearance of large steel projects, the Jharkhand government should be free to negotiate the best price for supplies of iron ore from the high quality Chiria mines.

“The state government must stop dilly dallying on SAIL’s first claim on the reserves. There must be complete transparency on all allocations of iron ore and coking coal reserves,” the report stated. For land acquisition, the report suggests that the state government should look for public interest at par with the Indian Railways, in order to prevent extravagant demands by the land owners on one hand and a possible exploitation of poor tribals on the other.

In the light of the relocation of an NTPC power project, the JKBS study wants the state government to take the lead in ensuring that generally coal bearing areas are only used for mining purposes and not power, steel or other projects.

The report suggests that the Jharkhand government should not be moved by what happened in Orissa four years back.