Stuck up on coal

An eerie silence has descended upon the Ministry of Coal within a week of pulling off the first e-auction of the commodity. Some low bids received during the auction were re-examined on the orders of the central government. The nominated authority for the auction and an inter-ministerial committee examined the bids and submitted their reports. The industry says it is a Catch-22 situation for the ministry - if it decides to scrap the auction, it stands to undermine the self-designed 'transparent' auction system. If it doesn't, the next phase of the auction will likely come under a cloud due to the procedural confusion.