Between legitimacy and illegality: Informal coal mining at the limits of justice

Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

    6 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Commonly presented as arising from poor policing and corruption, and as destroying the environmental commons, "illegal" production and marketing of coal is a significant aspect of everyday life in eastern India. Representations of illegality hide unpleasant social realities of the coal mining tracts: poor environmental performance of the state-owned mining sector, social disruption and displacement of communities, and a general decay in the traditional subsistence base. This paper works through the complex layers of mining laws and investigates whether the laws protect the interests of the disadvantaged. It offers a rethinking of what causes and constitutes illegality when a large number of people's livelihoods depend on this kind of mining.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe Coal Nation
    Subtitle of host publicationHistories, Ecologies and Politics of Coal in India
    PublisherAshgate Publishing Ltd.
    Pages39-62
    Number of pages24
    ISBN (Print)9781472424709
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2014

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