Par Panel slams coal block allocation as abuse of power

In a damning attack on licensing policies of various governments, an overwhelming majority under UPA, a Parliamentary Committee today said the controversial coal block allocations were "unauthorised and illegal" and demanded scrapping of mines where output has not started.
Slamming coal mine allocations between 1993 and 2010 as "largesse distributed to a few in total abuse of power", the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel said "several coal blocks were allocated to a few fortunates without disclosing the same to the public at large."
Neither any auction was held nor any revenue accrued to the government from the allocations, the report said adding the entire decision making process for distribution of coal blocks needs investigation.

"Necessary penal steps should be taken against everyone who was directly or indirectly party to such decision making process," it said in its report tabled in Parliament today.
In all 218 coal blocks were allocated between 1993 to 2010 -- 5 under P V Narasimha Rao government, 4 under H D Devegowda, 32 under Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and 175 under Prime Minister Mamohan Singh. "Distribution of coal block was greatest example of betraying public trust by the government," it said.
The panel, headed by TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee, said that all coal blocks alloted to the private companies where production has not started yet should be cancelled immediately and PSUs warned to start mining work at the earliest.

"The state and central government PSUs should not allow private parties to extract coal from coal mines that are allocated to them," it said.