PM to review performance of power, coal, environment sectors

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review on July 1 the performance of the power, coal and environment sectors during the past four years.

"The meeting which was to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the performance of the power, coal and environment sectors during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2007-2012) will be held on July 1," a Power Ministry official said.

Speedy grant of environment and forest clearances to the coal mines attached to power projects is expected to be the main agenda for the high-level meeting.

Other issues which are likely to be discussed include seeking cooperation from coal-producing states to address problems relating to land acquisition, rehabilitation and law and order.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests is at loggerheads with the ministries of coal, power and steel over the grant of statutory environmental and forestry clearances to projects in areas situated in dense forests, which it has classified as 'no go' zones.

A Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has been grappling with the inter-ministerial tussle over 'go' and 'no-go' mining areas, as classified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The GoM has met thrice, in February, April and June, to try and resolve the differences between ministries, but with little success as the Environment Ministry has refused to modify its stance.

The ministers, which are expected to attend this meeting convened by the Prime Minister include Mukherjee, Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

The demand-supply gap for coal in the current fiscal has been estimated at 142 million tonne by the Planning Commission.

According to the Coal Ministry, the 'no go' mining policy has affected the potential production of 660 million tonne of coal per annum.