Few Schedule III coal blocks start operation ahead of time

The government has said some Schedule III coal blocks have started production ahead of the time, and exuded confidence that the remaining mines will start operation on schedule.

"The schedule III mines were to start production after June 2018. Few of them have also started production ahead of schedule but the remaining are on schedule...," Coal Secretary Susheel Kumar said.

Schedule II are producing mines, while Schedule III mines are ready-to-produce blocks.

"Out of that (schedule II mines) some coal blocks have started producing. Some have not because of delays on account of either land issues or court issues or environment forest clearances. So, those delays are there. Some have done production and some are delayed," the secretary said.

Over the operationalisation status of 31 auctioned coal mines, the coal ministry had said in December last year that out of the 17 (schedule II) coal mines under the provisions of the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015, 12 coal mines are operational and remaining schedule II coal mines were awaiting various clearances to get operationised.

Further, out of the 14 (Schedule III) coal mines, one coal mine was granted mining opening permission and remaining Schedule III coal mine were scheduled to be operational from this year onwards as they were not operational at the time of their allocation.

On the operationalisation status of 53 allotted coal mines, the government had said that "out of the 18 (Schedule II) coal mines allotted to public sector undertakings... three coal mines are operational and remaining schedule II coal mines are awaiting various clearances/judgment for operationalisation.

The Supreme Court had in September, 2014 cancelled 204 coal mines allocated to the different government and private companies since 1993 under the provisions of Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973.