Haphazard Mining policy will lead to quick impoverishment. In its eagerness to promote industrialisation and attract investments government overlooks the great loss to the citizens and the heritage of the nation. In the guise of ‘fast-tracking’ and quick making of infrastructure, environmental degradation is going to take place at high pace in a massive scale. Unfair policies are leading to further impoverishment to nation and its citizens. Laws (relating to mining) favor the industrialists and causes economic loss to the local people and loss of heritage and environment to the nation. Is our nation run by pressures of industrialists or do the common people have any right to live in clean environment?
Loss by development. Loss to resident citizen is a gain for the rich industrialist. Transfer of power to give clearances, judging the bio-diversity zones and other policy decisions clearly show that people’s needs are being sacrificed for advantages for industrialists. The terminology used is “for development of the country” but it is going to degrade the environment, water bodies, the air and the land. Special advisers (in June 2009) in environment ministry who defined ‘no go’ zones and ‘go go’ zones have in their mind the quick distribution of nation’s resources to the industrialists, for they are motivated by the benefits that corporate lobby bestows upon them. For favors from corporate, we are giving away our forestland which is home of the tribal population, which is home of varied flora and fauna of the Indian subcontinent. Here the loss to the poor is much greater for it is at the cost of their rights that industries are being developed. Tribes are losing their homelands, and forest’s herbal wealth will be lost and biodiversity will be gone forever. The cost of development cannot be compensated by the ensuing losses; and the little gain for industry will mean great loss to many people.
Where is our forestland wealth? Forest area is defined, by environment ministry, as "an area where sky cannot be seen from floor". This is not a good definition, a better definition is required. The number of plant and animal species found per square meter, the contribution of the area to the ecosystem of the forested regions, presence of native wildlife and other parameters are to be used. In January 2010, coal blocks were delineated from forest areas. Out of 6.5 lakh hectares of forest land surveyed (with 600 mines), 44% were classified as ‘no go’ area for coal mining. Continuous pressure from corporate lobby in November 2010 reduced the ‘no go’ area to 30% of surveyed forestland making more areas open to coal mining industry and increasing number of mines. But all forest areas are homes of tribes who have been pushed out of fringes of settled cultures due to poverty and alienation. There is no forest area which is un-inhabited in India as tribal inhabitants have spread-out homes. They have already been chased away (by poverty) to seek existence from honey, herbs, fruits and forest creatures. They cannot be chased away any further. These delineated areas for mines are in green belts of India. By making approvals and reports sitting in the capital, the planners cannot visualise the great environmental damage that they will do to the forest lands. In April 2011, it was demanded that more areas were given to the coal mining projects. In January 2011, coal ministry complained that environment ministry is posing problems in approving and a committee would define “pristine forest” and “bio-diversity zones”. In defining and redefining, they are trying to further take over big forest areas for mining activities. In February 2011, ‘no go’ zone was reduced to 10% of surveyed forest land. Because the Planning commission wants to increase coal production, new definitions are invented and modified to suit demands of corporate pressure.
Where have our forests gone?. In view of falling coal production all ‘no go’ zones were scrapped altogether, in September 2011 and now Forest Survey of India would give approval to mines on case by case basis. That means all transparency is lost now, anybody can buy a mine and buy clearance. How to track who will get which mine, whose mine is being approved by whom, how much can be mined and how much can be exported, how to tax mined material, how to track transport and export can be tracked if processes are streamlined. And information should be available in public domain. All this should be done transparently. After we uncover malpractices they would try to blame someone for making wrong deals much later, may be another scam. We should streamline procedures now itself. Our forest lands and the habitats it supports would soon be forever lost too. The people of the forest will be further impoverished and will have no place to live and have no food from forest. Mining reduces the forest to dessert; once the forest cover is lost, erosion would ensue, top soil would be eroded, dust would make breathing difficult and land will lose its fertility. Environmental clearances must be done transparently and after investigation of all effects of coal mining of given areas. All the states in the green belt must cooperatively, work together to visualise the consequences of coal mining. Limits must be placed on mining. Only when ecosystem is restored in areas near a mine, new mining area must be delineated. Afforestation measures must done before excavating for another mine.And appropriate policy changes must be made to ensure environmental protection.
Why so much attention for coal mines? Coal is central in the making of thermal power stations for generating electricity. MoUs are being signed with coal producing states, so that fuel for thermal plants can be linked to thermal plants which are being constructed. Thermal project firms start construction before clearance for they are sure that they will get approval. Ministry of Environment has cleared over 200 thermal power projects for generating power for the next five years. These plans will result in great destruction to environment and to our national heritage and dislocation and impoverishment of the local people. The gain of the megawatts after destruction of forests for coal reserves would be less than the cost of rejuvenating the ecosystem of the land.Other than thermal, there are other ways to generate electricity without destruction to the environment. We need environment friendly methods of generation of power. Once lost, environment cannot be restored to the original pristine beauty.
Coal deposits are not yielding big results Due to poor outputs from mines, the amount of coal available for thermal power station has become very less. So new policies are made to reduce forest areas and increase coal yields. We are running in a race in which we are going to lose. Already electricity output of thermal powers have reduced. Soon there will be power crisis, and demands for inexhaustible resource cannot be met.Coal mined which were owned exclusively by government are now sold by e-auction to private firms which have made coal scarce commodity. So new policies are made to take away more forest land for coal mine. So it continues, never ending need for coal for ever rising need of thermal power.Energy is the required commodity that the economic advisers pressurise the government for. Who will protect the people's livelihoods and the pristine forests?
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