Inter-Min panel to take call on coal mines to PSUs next week

An inter-ministerial panel next week may take a call on allocation of 17 coal mines to public sector firms.

"An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) is likely to take a call on applications from the government companies / corporations for allocation of coal blocks on May 23," a Coal Ministry official said.

The IMC, headed by Coal Secretary S K Srivastava, may consider allocation of 17 blocks with estimated reserves to the tune of 8.45 billion tonnes to these PSUs, the official said.

The committee comprising Joint Secretaries from Ministries of Coal, Power, Law & Justice, Department of Economic Affairs and DIPP besides representatives of Planning Commission and coal companies will deliberate on the issue.

The Coal Ministry has received over 300 applications, including 235 from the power sector and 38 from mining firms, for the allocation of 17 coal blocks to public sector firms.

NTPC, Neyveli Lignite Corporation and MOIL are among the companies that have applied for the coal blocks.

In December, the Ministry had invited proposals from the PSUs for allotment of mines, mostly for captive power plants.

The Ministry has initiated the process of allocation under the amended provisions of the Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Act.

In the first round, the government proposes to allocate blocks to the government companies for specific use (power) and coal-mining.

The blocks on offer include Jilga-Barpali, Baisi, Banai, Bhalmunda, Kente and Kerwa in Chhattisgarh; Gowa, Pachwara South and Kalyanpur-Badalpara in Jharkhand; Mahajanwadi in Maharashtra; and Kundanali-Laburi, Sarapal-Nuapara, Tentuloi, Chandrabila and Brahamani in Odisha.

The Gandbahera-Uhhenia block in Madhya Pradesh and Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harinsingha in West Bengal are also on offer.

The coal mines allotment in the past has been under attack from various corners while a parliamentary panel last month had said most of the allocations by various governments were 'unauthorised and illegal.'