Coal is king and paramount Lord of industry is an old saying in the industrial world, the Supreme Court today said while emphasising the importance of the mineral resource regarded by many as black diamond.
"Coal is king and paramount Lord of industry is an old saying in the industrial world. Industrial greatness has been built up on coal by many countries. In India, coal is the most important indigenous energy resource and remains the dominant fuel for power generation and many industrial applications," a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha said.
It said coal can help significant economic growth. India's energy future and prosperity are integrally dependant upon mining and using its most abundant, affordable and dependant energy supply - which is coal.
"Coal is an extremely important element in the industrial life of developing India. In power, iron and steel, coal is used as an input and in cement, coal is used both as fuel and as an input. It is no exaggeration that coal is regarded by many as the black diamond," the bench said.
It said a number of major industrial sectors, including iron and steel production, depend on coal as a source of energy and coal's potential as a feedstock for producing liquid transport fuels is huge in India.
