Team News Riveting
Raipur, March 25
Armed with the permission granted by the Government of India, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today landed in Raipur to convince his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel to permit mining in the block allotted to its power company in Sarguja.
State-owned Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam (RVUNL) has received approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to start mining at the Parsa coal block at Sarguja in Chhattisgarh. The Parsa coal block is estimated to have a supply capacity of 2.7 rake coal per day and a production capacity of five million tonnes of coal annually to feed the thermal plants located in Rajasthan.
The mine has reserves of 150 million tonne coal with a life of 30 years. The Chhattisgarh government has however not granted the consent to operate despite Rajasthan’s repeated communication.
According to Gehlot, Rajasthan is totally dependent on Chhattisgarh for coal as it has no hydel plant and any disruption in coal supply will plunge the state into a severe power crisis. The non-operation of Parsa will interrupt 4500-Mw of power production in Rajasthan.
Asserting that the power crisis was critical and the state was desperate, Rajasthan Chief Minister spoke of “rights” and “claims” to extract coal in Chhattisgarh. “We have got the required permission; we are demanding that much only…we are seeking only what the Government of India has granted,” Gehlot said, adding that the permission is granted after the ministries concerned consider all aspects of forest and environment concerns besides getting expert assessment.
He said the issue of environment and forests had to be appreciated but for the development and power production, the demand of coal had to be fulfilled.
Gehlot was accompanied by a high-level delegation that held a meeting with the Chhattisgarh officials. Bhupesh Baghel said necessary action would be taken only according to the norms.
Both the Chief Ministers, belonging to the same Congress party, have locked horns on the issue. Gehlot has even sought Congress Working President Sonia Gandhi’s intervention in the matter. After pulling all the strings, the Rajasthan Chief Minister himself reached Chhattisgarh to convince Bhupesh Baghel.
