“It is felt that only the cases of pristine forests, or wildlife sanctuaries should be considered where coal mining may not be allowed," the coal ministry said in a note prepared for the Cabinet's consideration.
The argument is that without adequate coal, India may not be able to achieve high economic growth. There is a gap of 83 million tonnes of coal between demand and supply, projected to rise to 200 million tonnes by 2013-14, the note says.
The note comes after law ministry gave its opinion following a reference from the PMO that the environment ministry's policy on go and no-go areas was not in consonance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1983. Environment minister Jairam Ramesh had said Forest Advisory panel won't allow projects in no-go areas. Read the full report here.
Source: Chetan Chauhan and Nagendar Sharma, Hindustan Times, New Delhi.
