Centre refusing Deocha Pachami clearance despite pleas: Mamata

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the Assembly on Wednesday that the Centre has denied clearance of underground mining at Deocha Pachami, one of the largest coal blocks in Birbhum, despite repeated pleas by the state government in the past four years.

Banerjee said that the Bengal government had formed a board to look after the issues related to Deocha Pachami coal block. The board was supposed to sign a Memorandum-of-Understanding (MoU) with the Centre, but the Centre has deliberately denied the clearance.

"I have repeatedly urged the Centre to provide the state with necessary clearance. The Chief Secretary and the Power department officials took up the issue with the Centre but no steps have been taken so far," Banerjee told the Assembly.

The Chief Minister also alleged that the Centre has reduced the amount in the supply of coal as well. Despite the challenges posed by the Centre, the Bengal government has increased the production of power, thereby addressing the load-shedding issue.

In the past seven and half years, the Bengal government has ironed out the load-shedding crisis, which had been prevalent during the previous Left Front regime.

Stressing on the need for conservation of energy and environment, Banerjee said that people should be more careful to ensure that there is no wastage of power.

"People often forget to turn off the lights and fans while stepping out of their rooms. Even the street lights often remain on during daytime, wasting energy. We should be more cautious. Every time I stay in a circuit house, I ensure that the lights and fans are off while stepping out of the room," the Chief Minister said.

It may be mentioned that she has recently given the clarion call of "Save Energy, Save Earth, Save Environment", to address such issues. She recently held a meeting with Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in Nabanna, instructing him how to work towards conservation of power.

After being instructed by the Chief Minister, Chattopadhyay urged people to switch off the lights at their homes for half an hour every week, in a bid to conserve power.