Chandrapur | Jul 15, 2016: Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL) once again faces the threat of losing its coal blocks at Baranj village in Bhadrwati tehsil.
Union minister of state for home affairs and Chandrapur MP Hansraj Ahir has demanded transfer of KPCL coal blocks to Western Coalfields Ltd (WCL) over the former's failure to restart operations for over a year.
Having lost the coal blocks earlier following Supreme Court's directives in the coalgate scam, KPCL had regained the four mines in April 2015, but failed to restart mining.
Ahir is peeved over the KPCL's non-compliance of orders by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to settle dispute with project-affected people and laid off workers, and rehabilitate Baranj village.
Ahir, who has been pursuing the coal minister Piyush Goyal on the issue, had met him in Delhi earlier this month.
"I met coal minister Piyush Goyal and urged him to cancel the KPCL coal blocks and transfer them to WCL for mining. KPCL signing MoU with WCL for mining of coal in its blocks could be another option. In both cases, the aggrieved farmers and workers will get rightful compensation, salaries and work," Ahir told TOI.
He added that Goyal has assured him to look into the matter and come up with a solution soon.
"CM Devendra Fadnavis has twice held a meeting with the KPCL authorities on my request. Karnataka power minister GK Shivkumar too was present during one of the meetings. Though the company had agreed to comply with the directives of Fadnavis, it has blatantly broken its promise," Ahir said.
He said the KPCL management had agreed to pay enhanced compensation of Rs4 lakh per acre against 50% of the acquired land that the company was otherwise bound to return to project-affected farmers under the acquisition terms. The company had also agreed to pay half of the pending pay of workers, who have been put on layoff since more than a year.
However, KPCL management failed to comply with the directives issued in accordance with Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of the state, Ahir charged.
He also accused that the KPCL officials are more interested in import of the coal. "KPCL officers are keeping Baranj mine closed and focusing on imports for the hefty commissions," charged the minister who played a key role in coalgate scam expose.
KPCL is public sector company of Karnataka government and it was allocated four coal blocks for captive mining in Bhadrawati tehsil nine years back. The company however tied up with EMTA company and floated a joint venture Karnataka Emta Coal Mine Ltd (KECML), a special purpose vehicle, for operation of mine.
However, following the coalgate scam, the Supreme Court had de-allocated over 200 coal blocks across country including four blocks awarded to KPCL, which led to closure of the mine.
KPCL managed to regain the coal blocks on April 1, 2015 from the union government. Earlier deallocation of coal blocks had negated the agreement between KPCL with Emta which led to dissolution of joint venture KECML. This rendered 417 workers, including 158 project-affected people, 51 locals and 208 of Emta (West Bengal) working in Baranj mine jobless.
Sources claimed that Emta company and KPCL are entangled in legal battle over mining rights, following which the latter is unable to comply with the Maharashtra governments directives.
Ahir however holds that aggrieved farmers and workers have nothing to do with the companies' dispute.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)