 Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 29: Harsh Dev Singh, former minister and JKNPP president, has criticized the Union Secretary Mines, Vivek Bhardwaj, for announcing the auctioning of Jammu and Kashmir's lithium resources before December. Singh questioned the authority of the Union Secretary to interfere in a matter that falls under the jurisdiction of the state/UT government.
Singh emphasized that as per the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957, it is the state/UT government that holds the exclusive powers of extracting and mining minerals found on land, except for offshore mining, which falls under the central government's domain. He argued that the center's move, as indicated by the mining secretary's statement, not only violates existing laws but also encroaches on the state government's domain.
Singh accused the central government of attempting to desperately seize J&K's valuable lithium resources, which rightfully belong to the state and its people. He highlighted that the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium in Reasi alone has the potential to make J&K the richest state in the country. Singh also mentioned the possibility of further lithium exploration exercises, suggesting that the present findings could just be the beginning of a significant windfall, with potentially even larger lithium reserves yet to be discovered in J&K.
Even with the currently inferred lithium resources in J&K, it ranks as the 7th largest known reserve of lithium in the world, valued at over INR 40 lakh crores or USD $500 billion, based on the record high lithium spot prices reached on November 17, 2022.
The JKNPP leaders, along with Harsh Dev Singh, demanded that the Government of India halt its planned auction of J&K's lithium mining rights, which was announced by the Union Ministry of Mines on May 2. They asserted that the rights should be left to the future elected government of the state.
Singh stated that any amendment to the Offshore Mining Act to grant the Union government greater control over J&K's lithium resources would be legally and morally incorrect, tantamount to dictatorial theft. He raised concerns about the intentions of the BJP-led government, questioning why they were rushing to sell off J&K's lithium rights in a clandestine manner. Singh suggested that the Union government might have a vested interest in assigning the mining rights to their associates rather than acting in the best interests of the people of J&K.
The NPP leaders warned that such actions by the Union government, involving the colossal theft of INR Rs 40 lakh crores, could exacerbate tensions in J&K, adding fuel to an already ongoing conflict. |
