Allocation of 17 coal mines to PSUs to be completed soon: Govt

Recently, 14 coal blocks for power and three for mining have been put for offer under government dispensation route, says Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal

The government today said allocation of 17 coal blocks to PSUs will be completed shortly and some such allotment for private sector is also in the pipeline.

"Recently, 14 coal blocks for power and three for mining have been put for offer under government dispensation route and allocation of these blocks will be completed shortly. Few more blocks for offer to private sector are in the pipeline," Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said during a Coal conference here.

He added that for increased transparency in the coal block allocation, the provisions of Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Act have been amended and new set of rules have been framed for allocating coal blocks through competitive bidding.

Initiating the process of allocation of coal mines, the government had last year invited proposals from PSUs for allotting 17 blocks to them, mostly for captive power plants.

The development followed the government's repeated announcements to make policy for mines allotment transparent, following CAG terming potential losses of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer on account of blocks allotment to 57 private firms without auction.

The blocks on offer are: Jilga-Barpali, Baisi, Banai, Bhalmunda, Kente and Kerwa in Chhattisgarh; Gowa, Pachwara South and Kalyanpur-Badalpara in Jharkhand; Mahajanwadi in Maharashtra; Kundanali-Laburi, Sarapal-Nuapara, Tentuloi, Chandrabila and Brahamani in Odisha; Gandbahera-Uhhenia block in Madhya Pradesh; and Deocha-Pachami-Dewanganj-Harinsingha in West Bengal.

The government had earlier said six explored mines have been identified for allotment to private firms through competitive bidding route.