Ranchi, Oct. 25: Mines and geology minister Madhu Koda has decided to attend Cabinet meetings again as the chief minister has ordered the road construction department to redress his demands immediately.

At a meeting with Koda on Thursday the road construction department will discuss the steps needed to be taken for the widening and repair of a state highway linking Chaibasa with Bara Jamda.

Though the repair work of the 45-km stretch had begun quite sometime ago after repeated requests by Koda, he alleged that the pace of work was very slow and poor quality of materials were being used. Moreover, widening of the road had been neglected, he alleged.

Koda, an Independent legislator from Jagannathpur, also demanded proper supervision of the road construction, which was ignored, even though the road construction department is being headed by G-5 coordinator Sudesh Mahto. The chief minister, Arjun Munda, too, initially did not take him much seriously.

An agitated Koda consequently started boycotting the cabinet meetings and other important programmes. He did not attend the last two cabinet meetings, where several important decisions related to the mines and geology department were also taken. He was not present when the state signed the memorandum of understanding with L.N. Mittal early this month.

?At times taking tough stands become unavoidable. Neither Munda nor Mahto was taking me much seriously. Now that the chief minister has assured prompt steps, I, too, have decided to participate in the cabinet meetings and other official functions again,? said Koda.

Replying to another question he said he would not mind heading the proposed NDA coordination committee.

The recent cabinet decision to put a blanket ban on the export of minerals, too, is being reconsidered. The decision has not been forwarded to the Raj Bhavan for notification. Koda, however, denied that this step has been taken under the pressure of industrial giants who are keen to export raw materials available in the state.

?Minerals like mica, felspar, quartz among others, do not have their processing units in Jharkhand, but they are in great demand all over the world. We have to allow their export. In the case of major minerals, too, we cannot take extremely rigid stand,? Koda added.

Koda will be going to Tehran with Munda to participate in the World Mining Congress from November 7 to 11. The Prime Minister?s Office has already granted them diplomatic clearance for the programme in which delegates from 34 countries will be participating.

Apart from Munda and Koda, the 128-member Indian delegation includes chief secretary P.P. Sharma, principal secretary to the chief minister U.K. Sangma, secretary and director of the mines and geology department, chief minister?s chief security officer and representatives from certain big industrial houses engaged in the mining business.

The presentations from Jharkhand during the technical sessions will mainly focus on the mining opportunities available in the state. An investors? meeting, too, will be held during the programme. Representatives from the industrial houses will be there to assist the officials.