Mining India

Published : Jul 30, 2010 00:00 IST

IT is good that Frontline has highlighted the state of affairs in the mining sector in India (Cover Story, July 16). Chandrapur district of Maharashtra has been ruined because of mining. But regional newspapers do not pay attention to the indiscriminate and illegal mining going on.

Ujwal S. Jagtap Shelgaon-Deshmukh Maharashtra

THERE are some layers of protection for national assets. If officials fail to perform their duty, one looks to political leadership for correction; if they fail, one looks to the media or the judiciary for intervention. But looking at the degree of illegal mining, the situation seems hopeless.

Suresh Nandigam Hanuman Junction, A.P.

AN impoverished population, corrupt governments and greedy businessmen have combined to perpetrate this story of mining disaster on India. Unfortunately, the true cost of mining is being borne by the most vulnerable. Since the essence of mining is to exploit resources that cannot be renewed, it is only economical until the stock is exhausted.

Almost half of the county's total land mass is rich in natural resources. Hence, foreign investment in the guise of introducing technology and better efficiency without proper legislative safeguards, accountability or transparency could cause more displacement and social unrest.

Aniruddha Dam Kolkata

MINING cartels have taken over public lands and are using their political and bureaucratic clout to amass wealth beyond belief. Such is their authority that tonnes of impounded ore vanished from Indian ports. The government permits indiscriminate shipping while getting a pittance as royalty. The result is that forests are encroached upon, wildlife is endangered and agricultural lands are devastated.

What is left behind are barren lands with clouds of dust that affect the health of the residents who work as daily labourers under extremely hostile conditions.

There should be a better national mining policy, and the public should get a fair share of the revenues as royalty. Instead of exporting raw material, India should establish industries to use these resources and export high-end products, which will also improve the local economy.

H.N. Ramakrishna Novi, Michigan, U.S.

THE B.S. Yeddyurappa government is in a state of embarrassment following the resignation of Lokayukta Santosh Hegde. The speed with which key forest officials tasked with investigating the disappearance of ore from ports are being transferred can only be the handiwork of powerful elements within the Karnataka government seeking to shield a powerful mining lobby that plunders a key resource that belongs to the State and the nation. Shifting an investigating officer even after the furore over Hegde's resignation does not augur well for the State or the country. It is a pointer to the triumph of corruption.

J.S. Acharya HyderabadJustice Chandru

JUSTICE K. Chandru's achievement in clearing 53,000 cases in just four years is laudable (Making a difference, July 16). There would be no need to follow the policy of increasing the number of judges every year if there were more judges like him.

A.J. Rangarajan ChennaiPolice encounters

IN the article Questionable link (June 18), the figure given for the number of encounters is, in fact, the number of complaints relating to encounters registered by the National Human Rights Commission. It is not the proven number of cases of fake encounters by the police. For functional requirements, complaints received from people and media reports about alleged fake encounters are registered as cases of fake encounter. Likewise, intimations regarding encounters received from the police authorities concerned, as per NHRC guidelines, are registered as cases of encounter by the police. The final status of such complaints is decided by the NHRC after getting the requiste reports and on consideration of the matter.

Therefore, it is not fair to report that out of 2,560 complaints of police encounters, 1,224 were fake encounters. It will be pertinent to point out that out of 2,956 cases registered between October 12, 1993, and April 30, 2010, only 27 encounters by police were found by the Commission to be fake.

Jaimini Kumar Srivastava Information & PRO NHRC, New Delhi

NGOs

I AGREE with Bhaskar Ghose's contention that NGOs should be given a chance, especially in education (Give NGOs a chance, July 2). NGOs in several parts of the country are known to be promoting education of the underprivileged. NGOs known for their credibility and genuine service can be identified and entrusted with overseeing the functioning of government primary and secondary schools that are not performing well.

Peter Mundackal LondonAnnouncement

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