"We have a potential to supply 300 MT of additional coal from some of our collieries but we lack crucial rail infrastructure for transporting it," Coal India Ltd Chairman and Managing Director S Narsing Rao told PTI.
"Under the circumstances, we are in a position to increase our annual growth to only 30 MT for the next few years," he said.
If three critical rail links are fast-tracked, the company will ensure 300 MT additional supply to consumers who are facing fuel shortages, he said.
CMD's remarks come at a time when a high-level Inter- Ministerial Committee constituted by the Prime Minister's Office is addressing the issue of faster implementation of critical railway projects in potential coalfields.
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The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure had also agreed to monitor the progress of the three rail links critical for transporting coal from CIL mines located in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Sources said that difficulties being faced in executing these three projects, entailing Rs 7,500 crore expenditure, relate to forestry and environment clearances besides land acquisition, rehabilitation/resettlement as well as law and order problems.
The demand-supply gap of coal is likely to widen to 185.5 MT in 2016-17. The country had to import a record 135 MT coal last year to meet domestic requirement.
Battling low production, CIL has earmarked Rs 24,500 crore capital expenditure over the next few years mainly to boost capacity and is also looking at spending another Rs 14,500 crore to augment rail infrastructure.
CIL had said last month that it may miss the production target of 482 million tonnes (MT) for the 2013-14 fiscal, ending March 31, by around 5 MT.