Date | Oct 10, 2017:

Samaj Parivartana Samudaya (SPS) has suggested reconstituting the committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Mines for reviewing the National Mineral Policy 2008. Speaking to presspersons here on Monday, SPS founder-president S.R. Hiremath said that there were glaring deficiencies in the formation of the committee. It comprises 29 members — 25 government officials and four representatives from the industrial sector.

Representatives of organisations that fought against illegal mining, its adverse effects on common people, environmental degradation, and labour and others have not been included in the committee, he said.

The Government Order stated that this committee has been constituted to review the National Mineral Policy 2008 and suggest a new policy taking into account the measures already taken and those that may be needed for bringing in further transparency, balance social and economic growth, including sustainability of the mining industry. How is it possible to achieve this end without including representatives of all stakeholders? he asked.

To a query, he said that the representatives of voluntary organisations which fought illegal and reckless mining, including SPS, were invited to participate in one of the meetings of the committee and present their views. “However, as we were only invitees and not part of the committee, our views can be considered or sidelined. Moreover, the inclusion representatives from industries and keeping other stakeholders out will defeat the very objective of the formation of this committee,” he said.

Mr. Hiremath pointed out that this committee was constituted following an order by the Supreme Court in a case related to a mining-related issue in Odisha. The most disastrous impact of mining was on the local populace and the environment. The existing policy need to be debated thoroughly considering the previous experiences in mining and the ground realities in the areas affected by mining to see where and what went wrong.

The Supreme Court has set a deadline of December 2017 for the committee to submit the report. However, the committee has not done serious ground work. So far it has held three meetings, all in air-conditioned suites. To understand reality, the committee should make field visits and interact with the people affected by the adverse impact of mining. The committee would fail to achieve its objectives if it was not reconstituted and made to function in an objective manner, Mr. Hiremath said.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)