The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India has asked the Government to investigate the coal blocks allocation issue under the supervision of a sitting or a retired judge.
“...if the coal allocation without auction has become a high beta event and there are allegations of irregularities, let there be investigation under the supervision of a sitting or a retired judge and be done with it,” the chamber said in a statement today.
The Comptroller and Auditor General had in its recent report tabled in Parliament stated that undue benefits to the tune of Rs 1.86 lakh crore were extended to private firms on account of allocation of 57 coal mines to them.
It said that whether all natural resources should always be auctioned needs to be debated.
The chamber has also expressed serious concern over continuous logjam in Parliament. It said: “if there is anything that this country cannot afford now is uncertainty and delay in decision-making’’.
“..just because a few issues are highlighted as scams, does not mean as if nothing else is happening or nothing else should happen in the national economy,” it added.
The chamber has asked the Government and the political leadership to rise above the “partisan” issues for the sake of the national economy.
Assocham said political leadership is not willing to take risk when the business people are desperately looking for clear policy directions. It said that slow economic growth clearly reflects the difficult condition of Indian industry.
“If Parliament is allowed to clear some key reforms related essential legislative agenda, that will send a strong signal among both the domestic and international investors.
“If we continue to let the current situation prevail it would become un-retrievable and the GDP growth may even go below five per cent,” it said.