Gram sabha norms for coal projects wont be relaxed

After managing to wriggle out of the go,no-go impasse,coal block owners have landed in fresh trouble. A Group of Ministers (GoM) has shot down the B K Chaturvedi committees suggestion on relaxing norms for securing concurrence of the gram sabhas in their project sites. Instead,the ministerial panel has entrusted the Tribal Affairs Ministry to finalise a blueprint ensuring an equitable solution acceptable to all stakeholders.

In its last meeting on September 20,the GoM set up to suggest ways on streamlining the environmental clearances for stranded coal projects,took note of the committees suggestion that existing coal projects should be allowed to expand without conducting any public hearing.

If the meeting of the gram sabha is postponed for want of quorum,the second meeting may consider the proposal without any restriction of 50 per cent quorum, it said in the report. Currently,project developers have to secure the concurrence of gram sabhas with a 50 per cent quorum under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) before they can start mining. But at the meeting,Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo contended that accepting the panels recommendation would be imprudent as the FRA was passed after lot of efforts for the benefit and empowerment of tribals. Deo also opposed Coal Ministrys view on canceling gram sabha meeting for want of quorum.