Minister slams Bengal, Jharkhand over illegal coal mining

Virtually accusing the West Bengal government of not doing enough to prevent illegal coal mining, union minister of state for coal Sriprakash Jaiswal on Monday said the state, along with neighbouring Jharkhand, is a hot spot of unauthorised coal mining in the country.

Jaiswal said, ''In states like West Bengal and Jharkhand, the rate of illegal mining is very high. To an extent, Orissa also faces the same problem. Maintaining law and order is not the duty of the (union) ministry. So these states should activate their security establishment in such a way that they can tackle this menace effectively.

The minister was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a Merchants' Chamber of Commerce seminar on 'Indian coal sector: issues and prospects' in Kolkata.

''West Bengal and Jharkhand should take a cue from what states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are doing to check illegal mining. These states are performing a commendable job,'' he added.

''This is also a social issue involving livelihood of a number of people, and states should seriously address this with an alternative solution for engaging the affected.''

Earlier, MCC president S S Beriwala said minerals valued around Rs600 crore were smuggled out of Jharkhand every year, and Bengal was not far behind. To stop the functioning of this 'coal mafia', he urged the centre to allot small and isolated coal blocks to smaller and medium units to make them self-sufficient.

In response, the coal minister said, a policy on these lines was under consideration. ''But it would be a difficult process and the only way to allot these blocks to small and medium units was through bidding," he said.

During the seminar, Subrata Gupta, managing director of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation, said the problem of illegal mining is very intense in Asansol and Durgapur zones of Burdwan district in West Bengal, which is rich in coal reserves.