The fate of the Coal Bill and the Mines and Minerals Bill continued to hang in the balance, with the Opposition MPs -- particularly those from the Congress -- demanding more time to consult all stakeholders.
The government, on its part, has not yielded: a senior Minister insisted on Monday that the Opposition had entered into a gentleman’s agreement with it to clear them by March 20, when the break commences.
The Draft Report of the Select Committee on the Coal Bill was given to its members on Monday for their comments, while the Draft Report of the Select Committee on the Mines and Minerals will be given on Tuesday.
The government hopes that both reports will be ready by March 18, giving it two days to clear them in Parliament. The issue figured in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, with Congress member Digvijaya Singh saying, “ …it is such a wide-ranging Ordinance, it is impossible to deal with the whole issue within five working days… the time should be extended, at least, till the first day of the reassembly of the House on (April) 20th.” CPI’s D. Raja, also referring to the timeframe, stressed, “Within seven days, it is extremely difficult to complete the work.” And the DMK’s Tiruchi Siva said, “The purpose is to go deep into the Bill. We have not yet called the crucial witnesses.” But the government refused to consider an extension of the time.
On Tuesday, some Opposition members of the Coal select Committee, after studying the report overnight, are poised to give dissent notes to it.
If those on the Coal Select Committee have pointed out that not enough time has been given for members to meet even major stakeholders, those on the Mines and Minerals Committee have demanded that the chief secretaries and mining secretaries of mineral-rich states, among others, should be called. An Opposition MP on the Mines Committee said, “The government is in a hurry to complete everything in four days, but it is unjust. It is also trying to split the Opposition.”
