Ruckus on mineral policy leads to Lok Sabha adjournment

New Delhi, Dec 5 (UNI) In spite of clarification by Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the yet-to-finalised national mineral policy, Lok Sabha today witnessed uproar for half-an-hour by BJD and BJP members before the House was adjourned for 30 minutes.

The moment the lower House re-assembled at 1330 hrs after a 40-minute adjournment earlier following a faceoff between Mamata Banerjee and members of CPI(M), BJD members led by Arjuncharan Sethi stood up demanding that the Prime Minister give audience to concerned chief ministers before the announcement of national mineral policy.

Even as presiding officer V Radhakrishnan repeatedly pleaded with shouting BJD members, who were later joined by BJP members, to resume their seats, saying he could not allow the issue to be raised without any notice to the Speaker, protesting BJD and BJP members walked into the well of the House.

After about ten-minute of ruckus, the Home Minister walked in and protestors resumed their seats.

Giving details of deliberations on the national mineral policy, Mr Patil assured the House it will not become a national policy without discussing with all concerned. He said Group of Ministers(GoM) headed by him had held 5-6 meetings on the issue and heard CMs of Orissa, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, MP, Jharkhand and Karnataka. Besides, GoM had also received volumnious documents from representatives of coal, steel and labour industries. The Hooda committee report on the issue was also before the GoM, he added.

The GoM chairman said they had sent a report to the Union Cabinet which was now seized of the matter. But he assured the final decision on the policy will be taken by taking views of all concerned into consideration.

Mr Patil's assurance, however, failed to satisfy agitated members, including Mrs Karuna Shukla and Mr Kharabala Swain of the BJP, and they again walked into well of the House, forcing Mr Radhakrishan to adjourn the House for half an hour.

UNI