By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: Bargarh BJP MP Suresh Pujari has demanded in Lok Sabha setting up of a Coal Tribunal or Coal Bearing Act Tribunal at Jharsuguda. With the permission of the Speaker of the House, he spoke in Odia.
Pujari said the country’s largest coalmines are in Jharsuguda district. Since 1980, coalmining is done in the district as per Acquisition Act and Coal Bearing Act. But the cases under Coal Bearing Act are now being decided at Dhenkanal, 300 km away from Jharsuguda.
Pujari questioned that when coalmining is done in his own district and people are displaced, why the related cases are decided 300 km away. If a tribunal is set up at Jharsuguda, the local District and Sessions Judge would be its Chairman after proper notification issued in this regard.
Sources said the Jharsuguda District Lawyers’ Association had given a memorandum to Pujari in July mentioning about the unnecessary expenditure incurred by the people by running to Dhenkanal to attend the court.
Earlier in July this year, the Jharsuguda District Bar Association had written to Union Coal & Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi and sitting BJP MP Pujari requesting them to take steps for setting up a separate Coal Tribunal at Jharsuguda.
Sources said as most of the Coal India’s subsidiary, MCL owned Mines are located in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Sundargarh belts, for any issue like applications on displacement, compensation and employment are now being taken up by a Tribunal at Dhenkanal.Dhenkanal being 300 km away from Jharsuguda, the lawyers and applicants are facing a lot of difficulties and financial hardship to attend the Tribunal at Dhenkanal.
At present, many applications of Jharsuguda and neighbouring districts are pending for decision in Dhenkanal Coal Tribunal. Besides, there is a lot of pressure on the District and Sessions Judge , Dhenkanal to decide these cases as head of Coal Tribunal.
Association said that a major portion of coal mines of Jharsuguda and neighbouring Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts are under MCL. But, the applications on displacement, compensation and employment with the concerned companies are at present under the jurisdiction of Dhenkanal Coal Tribunal.
