Bhubaneswar, Aug 22 (PTI) The opposition Congress in Odisha on Saturday demanded a special session of the assembly to discuss the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, alleging that the legislation would curtail the state’s powers and cause a huge revenue loss.
A delegation of Congress MLAs led by Ram Chandra Kadam submitted a memorandum to Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, urging him to convene a special session of the House, describing the matter as urgent and in the interest of the state.
“We apprised the governor of our opposition to the new mining legislation and demanded its rollback. We also urged the governor to convene a special session of the House for a detailed discussion on the matter,” Kadam told reporters.
He alleged that the Bill was passed hurriedly by both Houses of Parliament without adequate discussion.
Describing the legislation as a “dark law”, Kadam alleged that it sought to restrict the state’s powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands and would undermine the federal structure.
He claimed that the amendments to the MMDR Act could result in Odisha losing around Rs 1 lakh crore and cause an annual revenue loss of about Rs 20,000 crore.
The Congress, in its memorandum, said the amendments posed a serious threat to the interests of millions of people, particularly tribal communities, and would restrict the state’s financial autonomy.
The party alleged that the amendments would prevent Odisha from imposing taxes on mining companies despite the environmental damage caused by mining activities.
Kadam claimed that the new law would give the Centre greater control over mineral allocation, revenue collection and renewal of mining leases, leaving the state with little say despite its land and mineral resources being used for mining.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik had opposed the new mining legislation and urged people to fight for what he described as their rights being taken away by the Centre.
The ruling BJP, however, rejected the opposition’s allegations and accused the Congress and BJD of misleading the people.
“All mineral-rich states, including Odisha, and above all the country, will benefit from the new legislation. This wonderful law has been brought to add value through proper utilisation of mineral resources,” BJP general secretary Biranchi Narayan Tripathy said.
Addressing a press conference here, Tripathy alleged that the Congress and BJD were jointly “playing a drama” to mislead people by spreading false information about the legislation.
He said the Centre had introduced amendments to the mining framework that had been in place since 1957.
Stating that minerals were national assets, Tripathy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a goal of increasing investment in the sector as part of the vision of building a developed India by 2047.
“This law has been brought to add value to mineral resources in that developed India. This has been brought to make the mining tax system more systematic,” he said. PTI AAM AAM SOM
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