Govt to auction 9 coal blocks in fourth round

Government has added another coal block to the list of mines to be auctioned in the fourth round next month, taking the total number of blocks on sale to nine.

It had kick-started the process last month for the fourth round of e-auctioning eight coal blocks. Bhaskarpara mine in Chhattisgarh is added to the list of coal mines earmarked for fourth tranche of auction.

The mine is earmarked for the non-regulated sector, iron and steel, cement and captive power plants, the coal ministry said. The next round of mines auction is slated for January 18-22 next year.

The last three rounds of auction have generated proceeds of more than Rs 3 lakh crore, which would be realised over 30 years by states where the mines are located.

“It has been decided to auction eight Schedule III coal mines earmarked for non-regulated sectors like, iron and steel, cement and captive power plants in the fourth tranche. The e-auction for these mines will be held from January 18 to January 22, 2016,” Coal Secretary Anil Swarup had earlier said.

Besides Bhaskarpara mine in Chhattisgarh, the coal blocks to go under the hammer are Brahmapuri and Suliyari in Madhya Pradesh, Bundu and Gondulpura in Jharkhand, Gondkhairi and Khapa & Khapa Extension in Maharashtra and Jagannathpur A and Jagannathpur B in West Bengal.

The Supreme Court in September last year had cancelled the allocation of 204 coal mines to companies without auction.