New Delhi: Acknowledging the incidence of illegal coal mining, including rat-hole extraction, the Centre on Wednesday said it is the responsibility of state governments to stop such activities and action against mining mafia cannot be successful without their cooperation.
Replying to questions, including by Gowaal Kagada Padavi of the Congress and Nishikant Dubey of the BJP, Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy said in the Lok Sabha that the Centre is working in close coordination with states to lower the number of accidents in coal fields.
Asked about the recent accident and loss of lives at a coal mine in Assam where rat-hole mining was allegedly being carried out, Reddy said that he has spoken to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the matter.
“It is the responsibility of the state government to check rat-hole mining,” he said. “We need the cooperation of the state government too. I had a meeting with (Jharkhand) Chief Minister Hemant Soren and I am hopeful that we will be successful in our plans,” he said.
Reddy said the Assam Chief Minister has conveyed to him that around 250 rat-hole mining sites have been closed down in the state and 12 people were arrested in this connection.
Replying to another supplementary question raised by Dubey on alleged illegal mining in Jharkhand, which has large coal reserves, he said the state police and government have to act against such activities as it is their responsibility.
Reddy said the Central government has a zero-tolerance approach towards coal mafia and violence in coal mining activities.