Koda expects to survive

Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda has got a breather after three RJD legislators of the Jharkhand Assembly met the railway minister and RJD president Lalu Prasad on Monday and received instructions from the RJD president that the tenure of the UPA government in Jharkhand should not be cut short, source close to the chief minister here claimed.

Lalu told the RJD delegation that the UPA had installed Madhu Koda as chief minister and 'any change in decision has to be ratified by the UPA fold and not by a single party", i.e the Congress.

The Jharkhand arm of the Congress had served an ultimatum on the Koda government on November 15, 2007, demanding action on a 19-point charter of demands.

The deadline of the ultimatum expired on January 15.

The RJD leaders in Jharkhand pointed out that the NDA would gain political mileage if the Congress withdrew support from the Koda government. One of the complaints was that industrialization had halted totally in Jharkhand because of lack of land and poor infrastructure. Koda was accused of doing nothing on this front.

During the tenure of four chief ministers, 65 memorandum of understandings (MoUs) involving investments over Rs 2.57 lakh crore were signed by the state government with domestic and foreign investors.

The investors aimed to invest in sectors like steel, pig iron, pellet, sponge iron, power, aluminium smelting, coal washing and power tillers.

After signing the MoUs, prospective investors have had to run to the many state departments concerned for follow-up action to start work on the MoUs as the state did not have single window system.

Way back in September 2005, the Jharkhand Industrial Infrastructure Development (JIIDCO) was constituted and started functioning promising investors a single window system for industrial clearances and permissions and land allotment.

Industry sources soon discovered that JIIDCO existed only on paper as not a single proposal received any clearance or benefit worth mention from this government agency.

Under the single window system, JIIDCO was empowered to send proposals for land acquisition for industries to the concerned deputy commissioners (DCs).

In response, as DCs stated they were helpless as the state government's land and land revenue department had refused to co-operate or to sanction any land acquisition proposals.

Sources said there were a long list of projects where no ground work could be undertaken by any investor.

They said requisition order of 3,400 acres of raiyati land and 100 acres of forest land for Jindal Steel & Power Limited (JSPL) had been sent to the East Singhbhum DC in July 2006. Requisition for 1,900 acres of raiyati land and 100 acres forest land for Konti Steel (KSL) was sent in July and October, 2006.