Jual Oram’s statement on mines Ordinance

BHUBANESWAR: Union Tribal Affairs Minister and BJP leader Jual Oram on Thursday said the State itself contradicting its view on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Ordinance, 2015 which has been given Presidential assent on Monday. 

Oram said the State sometimes says that the Centre didn’t communicate with the State and passed Ordinance unilaterally and sometimes says that the Centre didn’t take the State’s grievances into account though the latter had intimated the former. “These two phrases are contradictory to each other,” he said, adding, “If the State had complained to the Centre before the Ordinance is passed, how the same State is accusing the Centre that the latter didn’t communicate before taking decision.” 

The Union Minister said the MMDR Act is a Central subject and it has the right to make the amendment trough Ordinance route. “I’m surprising that why the State is opposing the Centre’s decision,” he added.

Notably, the BJD had opposed the mines Ordinance and termed the Centre’s decision undemocratic.