The committee constituted by the Steel Ministry to look into the need for rationalising the procedure followed by steel PSUs for procurement of coking coal and acquiring overseas mines will submit its report next month, Parliament was informed today.
"A committee has recently been constituted for looking into the need for rationalising the procurement procedure for coking coal, acquisition of coking coal mines abroad... (It) is due to submit its report by January, 2012," Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
The minister, however, denied that irregularities have been reported in the purchase of coking coal by public sector steel firms during the last three years.
The committee constituted to scrutinise the coking coal procurements by the firms under the jurisdiction of the Steel Ministry, like SAIL and RINL, is headed by an Additional Secretary. Top executives of SAIL, NMDC and RINL are also in the committee.
The committee has also been mandated to look into what kind of technology should be used to increase the usage of thermal coal and thereby reduce dependence on imported coking coal.
