Union minister and Kolar MP K.H. Muniyappa on Friday rubbished reports which said that the Centre had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on dumping nuclear waste from Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in the disused mines of Bharat Gold Mines Ltd (BGML) in Kolar Gold Fields.
After meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament, Mr Muniyappa issued a statement clarifying the UPA government had already taken a decision to revive BGML and will take steps to implement the decision. He appealed to the people of Kolar to maintain peace and not fall prey to rumours.
“The UPA government respects the sentiment of people of Kolar. There is no decision by the Centre to dump nuclear waste in BGML. During my meeting with the PM, I apprised him about the situation and urged him to intervene. I reminded him that the UPA-1 government had taken a decision to revive BGML at the Cabinet meeting held on 27, July 2006,” Mr Muniyappa said. “The PM has asked the ministers concerned to hold a meeting on November 26 to resolve the issue. The meeting will be attended by minister of state in the PMO, V. Narayanasamy and ministers Dinsha Patel (mines), Ashwani Kumar (law and justice) and myself,” he added.
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Lokpal bill report tabled in rs
Age Correspondent
New Delhi, Nov. 23
The select committee report on Lokpal bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
The report makes it mandatory for the states to create their own laws to set up Lokayukta, within one year of the Lokpal Act coming into force.
Committee chairman and senior Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi said all parties were on agreement over proposed provisions in the ombudsman bill. The committee also tabled a Lokpal bill as amended by it and Mr Chaturvedi said the same legislation will be discussed by the Upper House.
He said the government will not have to consider the amendments proposed by the committee and the bill “as amended” by the panel will come up for discussion.
The Prime Minister has been exempted from the ambit of Lokpal on issues of external and internal security, atomic energy, international relations and public order.
Though the law ministry had suggested “insulation” to PMO officials, the committee has not recommended any changes.
Interestingly, Mr Chaturvedi heaped praised on leader of opposition Arun Jaitley. “Without his (Arun Jaitley) help and guidance the committee couldn’t have reached to a conclusion,” Mr Chaturvedi said.