Panels on mining and coal bills adopt reports on them

Rajya Sabha panels on Bills adopt their reports

The government moved a step closer on Tuesday to clearing the decks for the Bills amending the mines and minerals Act and the coal mines Act, after the two select committees of the Rajya Sabha that were scrutinising the laws adopted their reports.

The Congress, Left parties, Janata Dal (United) and Samajwadi Party, however, gave dissent notes to the reports; both panels are chaired by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Anil Dave and Bhupender Yadav. They’d be presenting their reports to the House on Wednesday.

The government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and has managed to get the Trinamool Congress, the Biju Janata Dal and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on board, tilting the power scales within the committees in its favour. JD(U) leader K C Tyagi, a member of the coal committee, said, “Our efforts for a consensus did not materialise.”

PASSAGE CLEAR

• 2 select committees of Rajya Sabha scrutinising Bills amending mines & minerals Act and coal mines Act adopted their reports
• Both panels chaired by members of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Anil Dave and Bhupender Yadav
• Congress, Left parties, Janata Dal (United) and Samajwadi Party gave dissent notes to the reports

The Congress said it had key reservations on both Bills. On coal mines, it said allocations to state governments had not been spelt out transparently; there was no mention of cess and royalty that accrued to states. The Congress is also opposed to deletion of Section 3 of the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, which gave the government the sole right for commercial exploitation of coal. The party in its dissent has also raised the issue of clearly delineating compensation to villagers and affected families.

A Congress leader, however, admitted, “Although there are serious issues like labour rehabilitation that have not been addressed in the coal mines Bill, when it comes to passing the Bill on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, we might have no option but to support it. But on the land Bill, our opposition stands.”

The principal opposition party is also presenting dissent notes to the mines and minerals Bill. With most of the mines located in tribal-dominated and forested areas, the Congress has expressed concern about abiding by the constitutional safeguards for scheduled areas and scheduled tribes. It has urged for rules to ensure states abide by the provisions of the forest dwellers Act and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act.

In the final reckoning, however, the government should not have much difficulty in getting the bills cleared in the Rajya Sabha. The ordinances on the subjects lapse by

April 5. The Congress, despite its dissent to several provisions, is not likely to vote against, said sources.