By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Friday called for nationalising the country’s mineral resources and banning exports so that illegal mining can be checked.
“It has been seen that illegal mining is related to a law and order problem. The only option for stopping illegal mining is to nationalise mining in the country,” Yechury said initiating a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on illegal mining in the country.
“The problem of illegal mining is there with all mineral resources. We cannot permit such loot of our resources,” he said.
The CPI-M politburo member said that banning the export of minerals was important to check illegal mining.
“The US has kept its oil reserves while it imports oils from other countries. China also has kept its minerals in reserve,” he pointed out.
Yechury also said that mining has adversely affected the environment as more than 1.6 lakh hectares of forests have been cleared because of it.
“Only for iron ore, 77 million tonnes of water is needed for mining every year and the waste generated annually is nearly 1.84 million tonnes. It is spoiling our lands and water,” he said.