The Supreme Court verdict that has found all coal block allocations since 1993 to be illegal has yet again exposed the dismal governance standards of our country. Everyone who cares for the nation will surely look forward to stringent punitive action against all those who, in pursuit of their interest, subverted the rules.
That said, one is surprised that the Court has deemed it fit and necessary to consider the consequences of its verdict next week. What is the need to even consider the investments made by companies?
A. Venkateswaran,Chennai
In any project, transparency and credibility are the key factors, but unfortunately they have often been given the go-by by successive governments. Even as bigger issues such as global recession, economic downturn, unemployment levels, drought and high inflation have dented the overall growth of the country, rampant corruption has cost the national exchequer dearly.
P. Senthil Saravana Durai,Tuticorin
The Court’s observations on the irregularities in coal block allocations have exposed the deep-rooted nexus between the corporate sector and elements in the government. The era of liberalisation dawned with the hope that corruption would be lesser than what it was during the era of licence raj. Unfortunately, the hopes have been shattered by unchecked crony capitalism.
D.V.G. Sankararao,Vizianagaram
Coal mining is not like the mining of sand or stone aggregate. It requires the deployment of heavy machinery, involving huge investments, and has a very long lead time with many uncertainties. Successive governments adopted a policy of allotment since the nationalisation of the coal industry with these conditions in mind. The system of auctioning introduced recently is seriously flawed as it will result in cartalisation, and the allotments will be cornered by a few cash-rich companies. This will result in their dictating tariffs to user-industries such as power. We can pat our own backs on following a transparent and legal policy, and satisfying the audit agencies, but the result will be disastrous for the common man. There might have been some aberrations in the past 20 years but those should be treated as mere aberrations.
J.F. Dawson,Chennai
