Ever since the dawn of the modern era, it has been somewhat taken for granted that the natural resources of the earth are available for human exploitation. This conviction is of direct relevance to industries such as mining. In West Bengal, this matter has taken an odd turn with the decision to build a new airport on land (allocated for the project) underneath which there is a rich deposit of coal. There is a school that argues that land for the airport could easily have been given elsewhere and the present site left vacant for future mining of the coal deposits. The counter-argument is that the deposits are far too deep to be exploited in the near future with the available technology. A more advanced technology for mining could be available a few years down the line. Not only is that uncertain, the delay opens up the question of compensation for those who stand to benefit from the present airport project. When the coal is mined (assuming that it will be one day), the entire Indian economy and many industries will benefit from that process. But this possibility lies in the future. Why should the inhabitants lose the present opportunity of gaining from the airport project only because the whole of India will gain from the mining? There should be some mechanism of compensating the people of the region for the sacrifices they will be forced to make for the future. The Planning Commission should perhaps look into this issue. When addressing the question of coal-mining for the future, it is necessary to keep in mind two factors. One, that coal-based industries always adversely affect the environment. Two, advances in technology could make coal irrelevant for future economic development.

The building of the new airport also opens up questions relating to State and private ownership of airports. The new airport is to be built through private initiative and private investment. The old airport in Dum Dum remains in the hands of the State. There was always the possibility of making the old airport into a retail hub by allowing it to be privately owned similar to the airport in Delhi. On the other hand, since the new airport involves vexed issues of land acquisition and of compensation, it should have remained in the hands of the State. Exactly the opposite has happened. This only suggests that not adequate thought is being devoted to projects of the kind that are being discussed here.