The controversy over the MMDR (Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation) Bill has intensified Odisha’s political landscape. The state Congress has demanded a special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly to discuss the issue.
A Congress delegation led by Legislature Party Leader Rama Chandra Kadam met Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Lok Bhawan on Saturday. The team urged the Governor to convene a special session of the Assembly on the MMDR Bill.
Ramachandra Kadam said the Congress strongly opposes the amendments made by the government in the MMDR Bill. “Due to these amendments, Odisha will lose nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, and the state will suffer an annual loss of about Rs 20,000 crore,” he stated.
In the memorandum submitted to the Governor, the Congress clearly stated that the law brings the state’s sovereign rights over its own mineral resources under central control, reducing the state government to a passive spectator. While most mining areas in Odisha fall under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, the bill has eliminated the mandatory requirement of obtaining free prior informed consent from Gram Sabhas and the Tribal Advisory Council (TAC). It has also weakened the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Concerns have also been raised that the state’s control over the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds, meant for compensation and development of mining-affected local communities, will diminish.
Highlighting the serious crisis created by the law, the Congress has demanded an immediate special session without waiting for the regular Assembly calendar. Legislature Party Leader Kadam has requested the Governor to exercise his powers under Article 174(1) of the Constitution and direct the government to call a two-day urgent special session. In this session, the destructive provisions of the law should be discussed, examined, and a unanimous resolution should be passed, he demanded.
The delegation included senior Congress MLAs Tara Prasad Bahinipati, Bhabani Patnaik, Ashok Kumar Das, and others. Earlier, MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati had also opposed the bill and requested the Governor for a two-day special session.
The state’s main opposition party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), has also described the law as a major attack on the state’s mineral revenue, federal rights, and tribal interests. The party claims that the state could suffer annual revenue losses running into thousands of crores, and large outstanding dues may be written off. The BJD has demanded all-party meetings and a special Assembly session to register a unanimous protest.
On the other hand, the BJP has asserted that the MMDR Act will not cause any financial loss to Odisha. The party claims that the state and the general public will benefit more from mineral resources. Mineral revenue in Odisha has increased after the 2015 mining law, it said. Accusing the opposition of misleading people with wrong information about the MMDR Bill, the BJP stated that the law will help in building a developed India by 2047.
