The Mines and Mineral Development (Regulation) Act has come as a blessing in disguise for Chhattisgarh, which has planned ₹42,000-crore road projects for the next three years.

In an exclusive interaction with BusinessLine , Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, said the State has already started getting ₹900 crore a year from mineral development fund and plans are afoot to invest ₹2,700 crore over the next three years from this fund in 16 districts.

“We recently auctioned a gold mine, which was won by Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta (Resources). We will start auctioning limestone soon. I believe the mineral development fund will be a major boon for development of this State,” he said.

The State plans to invest ₹42,000 crore in roads over three years and add 760 km railines. “In 60 years, the Railways has constructed 101 km of railine in the State. In the next five-six years, we want to put up 1,200 km railway line in the State. We are also laying six airstrips across the State,” he said. “When I first took over as Chief Minister I was planning for 20 years; today, I make plans for the next 30 years because our foundation is getting stronger. We want backward regions such as Dantewada and Sukma also to participate in this growth,” he said.

While he said that Naxal activity will decrease dramatically in three years, foreign NGOs and the government can work in parallel as long as they work in the interest of the common man.

“We have been facing them for 13 years and will continue to do so. We have no issue as long as they do something good for the people. I believe winning people’s confidence is more important,” he said.

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