New Delhi: The coal ministry has been pressurising the environment ministry to be quicker with clearances of coal projects but Jairam Ramesh has maintained that at the cost of being labelled anti-development, these clearances must follow a stringent process and cannot be given in a hurry.
Despite being in the thick of many controversies and despite clashing with other cabinet ministers including Road Transport minister Kamal Nath, Ramesh remains defiant about following procedure to the t for clearances.
He makes his case through maps on his ministry's website showing satellite images of nine key coalfields, which are located in thick forest areas.
The green marked areas on the map are superimposed on the coalfields, clearly indicating why these are 'No Go' areas.
In such areas, no approval for coal mines is possible as they are surrounded by forests, and for other areas as well, clearance for mining is subject to a series of stringent procedures under the Wildlife Protection Act.