Let us proceed forward

Dark and gloomy days are ahead of us.After more than a week of talking over the issue of allocation of coal blocks, parties of the Parliament are arguing over and over again.The time we are wasting could be utilized in attending more urgent issues like "Land acquisition" There is no way to save one's own ship, but still one Minister says that if the coal has not been mined, it remains buried in Mother Earth, and that there is no loss. The fact is mining rights have been given to 142 companies from 2005 to 2008 without any regulations; and now one cannot talk his way out of this mess. The members in the opposite side are sure that non-transparent allocation means bribes have been taken.It is customary that the corporate sector companies plot together to get things done by government by giving extra loads of cash for the benefit their own interests. Only now, we have a policy of stating that "natural resources" should be auctioned in a transparent manner; previously we did allocate transparently but we had not stated the policy. Eight years ago when coal allocations were to be made, it was proposed that we should have e-auction, but it was not done.Let us admit it and get over it. Allocations were not done correctly. Let us reallocate transparently. Lets us proceed without going on lamenting.Different states had responded differently on allocation issues; and something had to be done very fast , so that we can show a high production of coal which are need in making electricity. And all other factories need electricity to run. Of the allocated mines, only a few were mining coal within two years of allocation. Others could not cross the  hurdles--clearances from environment ministry, tribal welfare ministry and tangles of land acquisition. Even after this first hurdle, they needed road transport, and proximity to railways--sixty miles from railway line would too far to transport coal by tons.Even if government had allocated, to keep coal flowing for the generation of power is a Herculean task. So let us stop commenting, and start working on the next issue.