CHENNAI: Union coal minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday announced that all three blocks in Tamil Nadu, proposed to be auctioned for coal mining, would be exempted.
Pralhad Joshi, who took to twitter, said the decision to exempt Tamil Nadu was taken for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. “BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai rushed to call upon me in Bengaluru with a request to exclude three lignite mines from auction in the 7th tranche. In the spirit of cooperative federalism and keeping in mind the interest of people of TN, I have directed to exclude them from auction,” tweeted Pralhad Joshi. Political parties in Tamil Nadu rushed to claim credit for the Centre’s decision.
After the Union government announced the auction for mining coal in 111 blocks across the country, including three blocks in Tamil Nadu, on March 29 this year, there was huge uproar in the state as all the three blocks fell in the agriculture-protected zone in the Cauvery delta region, the state’s rice bowl. The three blocks were in Sethiathope in Cuddalore district, Michaelpatti in Ariyalur district and Vadachery in Thanjavur district.
Leaders of all political parties opposed the Union government’s announcement. Chief minister M K Stalin wrote a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to withdraw the announcement. A special calling attention motion was moved in the assembly, during which both Stalin and industries minister Thangam Thennarasu assured that the project would not be implemented.
The same day, Annamalai, along with C T Ravi, BJP’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu, met Pralhad Joshi and urged him to drop the process to auction coal mines in Tamil Nadu.
Pralhad Joshi, who took to twitter, said the decision to exempt Tamil Nadu was taken for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu. “BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai rushed to call upon me in Bengaluru with a request to exclude three lignite mines from auction in the 7th tranche. In the spirit of cooperative federalism and keeping in mind the interest of people of TN, I have directed to exclude them from auction,” tweeted Pralhad Joshi. Political parties in Tamil Nadu rushed to claim credit for the Centre’s decision.
After the Union government announced the auction for mining coal in 111 blocks across the country, including three blocks in Tamil Nadu, on March 29 this year, there was huge uproar in the state as all the three blocks fell in the agriculture-protected zone in the Cauvery delta region, the state’s rice bowl. The three blocks were in Sethiathope in Cuddalore district, Michaelpatti in Ariyalur district and Vadachery in Thanjavur district.
Leaders of all political parties opposed the Union government’s announcement. Chief minister M K Stalin wrote a letter to the Prime Minister urging him to withdraw the announcement. A special calling attention motion was moved in the assembly, during which both Stalin and industries minister Thangam Thennarasu assured that the project would not be implemented.
The same day, Annamalai, along with C T Ravi, BJP’s in-charge for Tamil Nadu, met Pralhad Joshi and urged him to drop the process to auction coal mines in Tamil Nadu.
