Govt seeks status report from coal block allocatees by April 5

The Coal Ministry today sought status report on development of captive coal blocks from allocatee firms for the January-March 2011 quarter, ahead of its decision on blocks lying idle with firms.

In a letter to all captive coal block allocatees/joint venture companies, which include Tata Steel, ArcelorMittal and NTPC among others, the Ministry asked them to furnish status of the blocks for January-March period.

"You being a captive coal block allocatee, are requested to send the detailed information for the Q.E. (Quarter Ending) March 2011 in respect of allocated coal/lignite block and associated end use project to this office by April 5, 2011," the Coal Ministry said on its website.

The government is expected to take a final decision by this month-end on the fate of captive coal blocks lying idle with 81 companies, who were earlier asked to explain why they could not develop the blocks within the stipulated time.

The ministry, last year, had issued notices to the companies for not developing coal blocks within the allocated time frame.

"We have received responses to the notices we served to the companies. The responses for not developing the blocks are being throughly studied," Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said.

The firms had given various reasons, including land acquisition problem, for their inability to develop these blocks.

To weed out non-serious players, the government had last year issued notices to firms and sought their responses as to why coal blocks allocated to them should not be withdrawn, as they had failed to develop them within allotted time frame.

The companies which were issued show cause notices included Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, JSW Steel and GMR Energy among others.

The government had earlier deallocated 11 coal blocks.