Panel discusses coal production

With power plants facing acute fuel shortage, a Committee of Secretaries on Monday discussed impediments to raising domestic coal production and providing fuel linkage to electricity generation units. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, after meeting heads of leading power companies on January 18, constituted the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) to review various issues facing the power sector periodically. Issues related to coal — production, linkage, import etc — which were listed by the private power companies in their first meeting (January 18) were discussed at the CoS meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, sources said without elaborating on the outcome of the meeting.