Amid a widening demand-supply gap, the Coal Ministry has stepped up efforts to augment production of the dry fuel and will hold a meeting with coal block holders next month to take stock of the progress in development of mines allocated for captive use.
"A meeting with the allocatees of the coal/lignite blocks has been fixed under the Chairmanship of Additional Secretary (Coal) Zohra Chatterji on January 11 and January 12," a Coal Ministry source said, quoting the notice sent to coal block holders.
During the two-day meeting, Chatterji will examine the progress of work in allocated coal blocks and end-use projects.
"The purpose of the meeting is to... Seek feedback for expeditious development in both the captive coal mining block and end-use project," the source added.
On the first day of the two-day meeting, the Additional Secretary will hold discussions with firms that have been allocated blocks in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
The companies that have been allotted mines in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal will participate in the meeting on the second day.
Cracking down on firms sitting idle on coal blocks allocated to them for captive use, the Coal Ministry took back 14 coal blocks and one lignite block allotted to six PSUs, including NTPC, and three private firms in May.
Five blocks held by NTPC -- Chatti Bariatu, Chatti Bariatu (S), Kerandari, Brahmani and Chichiro Patsimal -- were taken back as part of the deallocation exercise.
The ministry also cancelled the allotment of blocks to DVC, Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation, Tenughat Vidyut Nigam, Bihar State Mineral Development Corporation and Jharkhand State Electricity Board.