Select panels suggest no changes in coal, mines bills

Amid uproars from opposition Congress, the Select Committees of the Rajya Sabha looking into the coal and mines bills Wednesday tabled their reports that have recommended no amendments in the bills.

The protests led to a brief adjournment of the house.

As the reports were tabled in the upper house, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "We want to register our protest against the manner in which mines and coal bills are being rushed for passing."

"The bill was not referred to the Standing Committee, after being referred to the Select Committee. My party said we wanted report in first week of next session. Concerns of members of our party have not been taken on board. Other stakeholders have also not been taken on board," he said.

The leader of opposition said it made the whole exercise of sending the bill to a select committee "meaningless".

This was followed by noisy protests from Congress members who trooped near the chairman's podium, raising slogans.

Amid the ruckus, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for ten minutes.

During the break, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal were seen engaged in discussions with Azad, Digvijaya Singh and others apparently explaining the provisions.

The house resumed normal functioning when it met after the brief adjournment.

The report on the coal bill says the committee recommends the bill without any changes, and added that the suggestions made by the panel should be looked into.

The report on mines and mineral bill also did not recommend changes to any of the clauses of the bill. It, however, said: "The Committee, in view of limited ambit of amending Bill under its consideration, is of the opinion that these issues are of utmost significance that warrant serious consideration by the government."

"The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Ministry should consider these issues to be incorporated subsequently in the MMDR Act, 1957, at an appropriate stage as well as in the relevant rules/regulations required to be framed thereunder," it said.