Dhanbad (Jharkhand), July 01: Industries and Commerce Association (ICA) here has demanded handing over of BCCL's uneconomic coal-mines on lease to its members who had expertise in mining as erstwhile mine owners, prior to nationalisation. Raising the demand at the association's 70th annual general meeting last night, ICA president B N Singh said that under the provisions of amended coal mines nationalisations act, the coal ministry had the power to notify entrepreneurs without disturbing the existing public sector mining companies.
Besides helping in bridging the demand-supply gap, such a move could also assure the country of strategic input rather than depending on coal imports, Singh said.
He said the Centre should discourage coal import in order to save domestic coke producers facing crisis following the government's liberalisation policy. Precious foreign exchange would also be saved that way, he said.
Referring to the law and order problem in Dhanbad belt, Singh said there had been several incidents of abductions of industrialists for ransom and murders.
Repetition of such incidents forced some entrepreneurs migrate to 'safer' places disposing of their businesses here, he said. Bureau Report