Jharkhand govt initiates process for legal action to realise 'coal dues' from Centre
Ranchi (PTI): The Jharkhand government initiated the process for legal action to realise "Rs 1.36 lakh crore coal dues" from the Centre.
The government issued a notification on Tuesday authorising Secretary, Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms to commence the legal procedure to realise the dues.
The development came shortly after the state government announced in its first cabinet meeting last month that it would take legal action to get its dues.
"Secretary, Revenue, Registration and Land Reforms is nominated as nodal officer to initiate immediate legal action to realise Rs 1.36 lakh crore dues from the Centre.
"In case of obstacles in payments by subsidiaries of Coal India in lieu of washed coal royalty dues, common cause dues etc, steps should be taken to resolve this in consultation with the Advocate General," the notification said.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren, too, had said after being sworn in last month that legal action would be initiated to realise the dues.
Earlier, he had requested the Centre "with folded hands" to clear the multi-crore coal dues to the state.
On November 2, he posted on X: "The PM and the home minister are coming to Jharkhand. I once again request them with folded hands to clear the outstanding (coal dues) of Rs 1.36 lakh crore to Jharkhandis. This amount is crucial for Jharkhand."
"I would also appeal to my BJP colleagues, especially the MPs, to help Jharkhandis in getting our dues.”
He emphasised the dues with central PSUs like Coal India are "rightful" to the state, and claimed that "non-clearance is causing irreparable harm to Jharkhand’s development".
A recent ruling by a nine-judge Supreme Court bench affirmed the state's right to collect its mining and royalty dues.
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No endeavour to build Ayodhya mosque, reclaim land given for it: BJP leader to Adityanath
Ayodhya (UP) (PTI): A BJP leader here has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, asking him to reclaim the land allotted for the construction of a mosque here and claiming that no substantial endeavour has been undertaken to build it.
On November 9, 2019, settling a fractious issue that went back more than a century, a five-judge bench headed by the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, at the site where the 16th century Babri Masjid once stood. It also ruled that an alternative five-acre plot would be found for a mosque in the holy town.
The Sunni Central Waqf Board later formed the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation to build a new mosque on the land allotted by the state government in the Dhannipur area of the district.
BJP leader Rajneesh Singh, in his letter to the chief minister on December 10, said that since the apex court's verdict, "no substantial endeavour has been undertaken by the Muslim community to construct the mosque".
Their "intention was never to establish a mosque there but to perpetuate the discord under the pretext of a mosque", he alleged.
"In compliance with the Supreme Court's order, the land allocated to Sunni Central Waqf Board in Ayodhya is being used by the mosque's responsible persons for other purposes. The Muslim community's intention was never to construct the mosque but rather to keep the disturbance and disorder alive under the guise of a mosque. However, this has not been possible due to your leadership," Singh said in the letter to Adityanath.
Asserting that "a mosque is not necessary for offering prayers anyway," he appealed to the chief minister to "issue strict instructions to the officials of the Ayodhya mosque trust to use the land in compliance with the Supreme Court orders".
In case of being unable to do so, issue directives to return the land to the government to prevent its misuse, Singh said.
In a conversation with PTI, he said, "The Muslim community merely wishes to preserve Babar's legacy through this mosque and aims to manipulate Hindu sentiments in the name of Babri Masjid."
When PTI contacted Athar Husain, the secretary of the Ayodhya Masjid Trust, for his reaction to the issue, he refused to comment.
In 2022, Singh petitioned the Allahabad High Court, claiming that the Taj Mahal mausoleum is an ancient temple dedicated to the deity Lord Shiva and is known as the "Tejo Mahalaya".
