The Ministries of Railways and Coal have recently opened up their passenger train and commercial coal mining segments to private participation. With this, there is a growing clamour for setting up independent sectoral regulators for these sectors. This article argues that railways and coal would be better off “regulating by contract” or that the independent sectoral regulators in related sectors may be given the regulatory responsibility of railways and coal, respectively.
The paper discusses the commitment on climate change negotiations and reflects why thermal power plants are not replaceable by renewables. It gives a glimpse on electricity demand and supply as well as coal availability. Accordingly, we formulate different horizontal scenarios for electricity demand and vertical scenarios for coal supply, thereby calculating the coal requirements for different demand scenarios. The results are validated with medium-term coal projections along with the actual coal consumption at power plants for producing electricity.
Given India’s continued dependence on coal to supply power for industrial and residential consumers at affordable prices, the country needs a unified coal mines environment authority staffed with multidisciplinary expertise to assess and minimise the adverse environmental impacts of coal mines with an integrated approach to ensure more efficient, effective, and transparent environmental governance. This authority must be created by enacting a sustainable coal mining bill before private sector commercial coal mines commence operations.
The dominance of coal for Indian energy security might, finally, be about to reduce as increasing demands are made for a just transition to cleaner and more community-friendly forms of energy. Possibilities for mine-affected communities to take control of the coalfield lands that will become abandoned by the inevitable closure of coal are explored.
The article discusses why it is an imperative for India to begin deliberation on a just transition from coal in light of some of the compelling factors. It then evaluates what a just transition in India might entail building on an on-ground study of a coal district in Jharkhand, one of India’s top coal mining states. And finally, it outlines the planning and policy considerations that will be necessary to support a just transition.
Living with Oil & Coal: Resource Politics & Militarization in Northeast India by Dolly Kikon, Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019; pp xiii + 189, price not indicated.
The proposed modernisation and expansion of the Mormugao Port in Goa has drawn widespread criticism for its failure to seriously assess its environmental impact and lack of thought to sustainability and social costs, while raising questions on the ownership claim over the project area itself. A three-day environmental public hearing recorded the concerns and grievances of the numerous stakeholders and civil society members who stand affected by the proposed project.
