Coal India told to review rehab policy for mining

The Coal Ministry has asked Coal India Ltd to review the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy for acquiring land for mining.

At a review meeting of the public sector coal companies on Tuesday, the Coal Minister, Mr Sriprakash Jaiswal, said adequate compensation and proper employment should be provided to affected persons.

The R&R policy should meet the aspirations of land losers and should provide welfare measures for long-term, Mr Jaiswal said.

This comes at a time when the acquisition of land for mining is becoming a major constraint for the public sector firm in scaling its output.

To overcome the land acquisition related issues, the rehabilitation and resettlement policy should be more attractive and stakeholder friendly, he added.

Meanwhile, agency reports from Angul in Orissa said that mining operation under the Mahanadi Coal Fields (MCL), a subsidiary of CIL, remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday due to protest by project affected people demanding immediate steps for compensation and rehabilitation.

Production at two open cast mines – Balaram and Hingola, which produce 50,000 tonnes of coal daily, under operation by MCL, were impacted. Villages of Kalamchhuin, located between the two mines, are protesting against their displacement before proper rehabilitation and payment of compensation, the reports said.

Further, Mr Jaiswal also said that the Government was open to review its recent decision to cancel the allotment of coal blocks to public sector firms including NTPC.

“If PSUs come forward with a request to review the decision on de-allocation of coal blocks, we will surely do it,” he added said.

Last week, the Coal Ministry had cancelled the allotment of 14 coal blocks and one lignite blocks allotted to steel, power, cement firms for captive use due to their failure to develop these blocks within the specified timeframe.