Raipur: None of the nine companies who have been allotted ten coal blocks by the Centre in Chhattisgarh in the last five years could start production, Chief Minister Raman Singh told the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
"Of the 10 coal blocks allotted by the Ministry of Coal since 2008 in Chhattisgarh, seven were to the private companies and two to public sector firms, while one coal block was given to a joint venture of a private and public understanding. However, production could not be started in any of the coal blocks allotted after 2008", Singh told the Assembly in a written reply to a question raised by Congress MLA and state unit chief Nandkumar Patel.
The coal ministry has allotted 10 coal blocks since 2008 till January 24, 2013, in the state, he said.
Singh said as per information the state government has received from the ministry; allocation of blocks to three companies was cancelled for failing to complete the requisite formalities and conditions.
"Mines allotted to Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDC), Binani Cement and the joint group of Electrotherm Private Limited and Grasim Industries, were cancelled during the period", Singh said.
He said two companies - the CMDC and the joint group of Electrotherm Private Limited and Grasim Industries Limited - have challenged the ministry's decision in a court of law.
While allotment of CMDC's coal block at Shankarpur (Bhatgaon II and extension) in Surajpur district was annulled on November 30, 2012, that of Bhaskarpara coal block allotted to the joint group of Electrotherm Private Limited and Grasim Industries Limited was cancelled on November 15 2012. Another company to lose the allotment was Binani Cement whose coal block at Datima in Koriya had been cancelled on April 27, 2010.
The companies that had been allotted coal blocks in the last five years include a joint group of JLD Yawatmal Energy Limited, RKM Power Gen Private Limited, Visa Power Limited, Green Infrastructure and Vandana Power (in Raigarh), SKS Ispat and Power Limited and Prakash Industries Limited (in Korba and Raigarh). Others are Rathi Udyog Limited (in Korba), Binani Cement (cancelled), Goa Industrial Corporation (Raigarh), Electrotherm Private Limited and Grasim Industries Limited (cancelled).
In 2009, two coal blocks were allotted in Korba and Sarguja region. While one was allotted jointly to Monet Ispat and Topworth Steel Private Limited another was to Akaltara Power Limited.
In 2010, no coal block was allotted in the state while in 2011 two blocks were allotted to a consortium of 16 companies and jointly to Coal India Limited and SKS Ispat and Power Limited, according to the CM's reply.
However, the reply did not mention the status of the seven remaining companies where production could not take off in this period.
Comments
0 comment