Our coal resources

With great humility and respect for those who gave their valuable lives and their loved ones left behind to mourn their loss and also those who were injured in police action, we who are not so learned would like to know a little more on the subject. We know very little of coal mining, leave aside Open Cast Mining or Underground Seam Mining of Coal. In fact, we are greatly confused how best our valuable coal resources can be extracted to benefit our country and its struggling economy.

However, we do know that the best coal so far discovered in Asia lies under our soil and in large quantity. We do know that we do not have the technology and the multibillion-dollar finance for such a gigantic project, nor what is the best method of extraction for us. We do know that the open pit mining method causes destruction to agricultural and other economic activities, while subsidence from underground mining can cause sudden sinking of prosperous land to depths of 10-15 metres and for many miles. Since both the methods seem to cause disturbance we need to know what is best for the nation.

Without being insensitive to what happened and at the same time not being insensitive equally to the future of our children who could benefit from such God given resources available to brighten their future, experts should let the nation know what is actually going on behind the scene. It is one matter to stop a project or condemn a culprit-company, but it is completely a different matter to serve one for the best interests of the country. We need to think much above individual interests or that of a community and think positively for the far greater interest of the nation and the future of our generations to follow.