Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Congress has demanded a special session of the assembly to discuss the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, alleging that the proposed legislation would curtail the state’s powers and cause a huge revenue loss.
A delegation of Congress MLAs led by Ram Chandra Kadam submitted a memorandum to Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati Saturday, urging him to convene a special session of the House.
“We apprised the governor of our opposition to the new mining legislation and demanded its rollback. We also urged him to convene a special session of the House for a detailed discussion on the matter,” Kadam told reporters.
He alleged that the Bill was passed hurriedly by both Houses of Parliament without adequate discussion.
Describing the legislation as a “dark law”, Kadam claimed that it sought to restrict the state’s powers to levy taxes on mineral rights and mineral-bearing lands and would undermine the federal structure.
He asserted that the amendments to the MMDR Act could result in Odisha losing around Rs 1 lakh crore and cause an annual revenue loss of about Rs 20,000 crore.
The Congress, in its memorandum, said the amendments posed a serious threat to the interests of millions of people, particularly tribal communities, and would restrict the state’s financial autonomy.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik had opposed the new mining legislation, and urged people to fight for what he described as their rights being taken away by the Centre.
The ruling BJP, however, rejected the opposition’s allegations, and accused the Congress and BJD of misleading the people.
“All mineral-rich states, including Odisha, and above all the country, will benefit from the new legislation. This wonderful law has been brought to add value through proper utilisation of mineral resources,” BJP general secretary Biranchi Narayan Tripathy said.
Addressing a press conference here, Tripathy alleged that the Congress and BJD were jointly “enacting a drama” by spreading false information about the legislation.
Tripathy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set a goal of increasing investment in the sector, as part of the vision of building a developed India by 2047.
