CIL cuts coal output target by 6.5% for 11th plan

State-run Coal India (CIL) today said it has lowered its production target to 486 million tonnes from 520 million tonnes for the 11th Five Year Plan period (2007-12) in a mid-term review.

"We have revised the production target to 486 million tonnes against 520 million tonnes projected earlier," CIL Chairman and Managing Director Partha S Bhattacharya said here on the sidelines of a seminar on power organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

He said that CIL is facing a production gap of 54 million tonnes and hopes to arrange 20 million tonnes from other existing operating mines, thus, leaving a shortfall of 34 million tonnes.

Bhattacharya cited non-enviornmental clearance as the cause for revising the targets.

"Some 17 projects had been stalled which were supposed to produce 101 million tonnes at the terminal year of the 11th Plan period i.e. 2012," he said.

Speaking about the current year's production target of 435 million tonnes, Bhattacharya said difficulty of evacuation of coal from three subsidiaries was making the fulfilment of the target difficult.

Stock piling was on rise in these companies and it already rose to 14-16 million tonnes.

He said combined availability of railway rakes by Bharat Coaking Coal, Mahanadi Coalfields and Central Coalfields were 165-170 per day against the need for 210 rakes.

CIL said it would import about 1.5 million tonnes of coal for the Damodar Valley Corporation and Nalco.

Meanwhile, CIL was aiming to enter Meghalaya for organised coal mining. On this regard, it has submitted draft new mining rules with the state that was under consultation in the state cabinet.