Coal auction: 134 out of 176 applications shortlisted

As many as 134 applications have been found technically qualified and shortlisted out of the 176 preliminary bids received for the coal blocks on offer in the first tranche, a top Coal Ministry official said today.
"Out of the 176 applications we received, 134 are found to be technically valid," Coal Secretary Anil Swarup told reporters here.
He said the Ministry will go ahead with the auction of mines as per schedule though there have some court cases as a consequence of which there have been some changes.
"Consequent to an interim order of Jabalpur (High Court), the auction of two mines has been put on hold in schedule II. These are Gotitoria East and Gotitoria West," Swarup said.

The Ministry, he said, had put both the blocks in the unregulated sector but the Court directed that they be considered for regulated sector.
"This will require a lot of study... So right now these two mines have been put on hold in context of schedule II blocks," he said.

The government has received eight bids for Gotitoria East and Gotitoria West mines in Madhya Pradesh from companies like ACC, B L A Power, BS Ispat, Godawari Power and Ispat, OCL Iron and Steel, Prism Cement, Reliance Cement and Trimula Industries.
The Secretary further said that in case of schedule III mines (ready to produce) there are three mines that have been taken out of auction process consequent to the order of the Delhi High Court.

"We are referring this to a technical committee which will re-examine it in the context and as per the directives of the High Court," Swarup said, adding that in all, five blocks have been impacted by two court orders.
The Supreme Court had in September 2014 cancelled allotment of 204 mines since 1993, terming the allotment as "arbitrary and illegal".
Under the schedule II (producing mines) category, the auction of the coal blocks would be held between February 14 and February 22 and the vesting orders will be issued by March 23.