Koda flays Centre for step-motherly stance towards Jharkhand

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Jamshedpur, Jun 20 (UNI) Jharkhand mines minister Madhu Koda today criticised the Centre for not allotting coal blocks despite the state having rich deposits of coal.

Talking to newsmen here, Mr Koda said due to faulty policies of the Centre and its ''biased'' attitude towards the state many coal-based industries were facing hardship and some were even on the verge of closure.

The minister alleged that even coal blocks enlisted for captive plants were being allotted to outside players. He alleged that a private player from Haryana was alloted a coal block, estimated to be about 200-250 million tonne deposit, and another block in Dumka was given to a player from West Bengal recently.

Mr Koda also took a dig at the Centre for imposing the directive of allotting maximum 500 tonnes of coal to the industrial units.

He said such rules had severely affected the state government as it failed to meet the demands of the industrial houses, who needed more quantity of coal than the limit imposed by the Centre.

Mr Koda urged to scrap such rules immediately and informed that the allotment of coal to the state was less than requirement of the state.

In a recent meeting with Prime Minster Manmohan Singh, Mr Koda and Chief Minister Arjun Munda apprised him of the 'discrimination' in allotting coal blocks and demanded to give preference to the state in the allotment of coal blocks.

He said the state has 3600 million tonnes of iron-ore reserve to meet the demands of the industrial houses.

UNI BDG KK DB2053

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