[Marxistindia] P.B. statement

[news from the cpi(m)]

October 22, 2014

 

Press Statement

 

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

 

Following the Supreme Court order quashing the allocation of 214 coal blocks
the Modi Government seems to have decided to promulgate an ordinance
empowering the government to take back these coal blocks and reallocate them
to private entities through an e-auction. 

 

This completely nullifies the coal nationalization Act of 1973. Coal was
nationalised as a precious national asset required for the country's
development especially to provide energy resources to the people. By an open
market e-auction this objective would be negated. In any case such a
decision cannot be taken unless the parliament enacts a legislation
nullifying the 1973 Act. 

 

The 1973 Act has already been considerably diluted by successive Central
Governments from the Vajpayee led NDA government onwards when the right was
given for captive power plants in specific sectors like power generation,
steel, fertilizer and cement. These coal blocks were allocated under this
dispensation. It has now been found that most of these coal blocks were not
under production but were used as collaterals for raising capital and
speculative profiteering through sale of coal for purposes other than the
stipulated ones. 

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the government must implement
the 1973 Act in right earnest. Coal India must be empowered to undertake all
mining in the country and after allocating the resource for the public
sector and state electricity boards for providing power to the people, the
remaining may be sold in the open market for private corporates. 

 

 

Central Committee

Communist Party of India (Marxist)

A.K. Gopalan Bhawan

27-29, Bhai Vir Singh Marg, Gole Market

New Delhi 110 001

 

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