New Delhi: The inter-ministerial group (IMG) examining coal-block allocations will meet Monday and Tuesday to make its recommendations on the cancellation of blocks and penalties for their owners for not starting mining, a senior coal ministry official said Friday.
The companies on IMG’s scanner are from the government sector and include MMTC Ltd (Gomia underground mine), National Aluminium Co Ltd (Utkal E), Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (Utkal A and Gopalprasad) and several state mineral development corporations and state electricity boards.
So far, the IMG has recommended the cancellation of 13 coal blocks and encashing of the bank guarantees of 14 others belonging to private companies, all of which have been enforced by coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.
The IMG was asked to study 58 companies that were issued show cause notices by the coal ministry earlier to explain why they had not started mining coal. These blocks are a part of the 195 allocated by the ministry between 1993 and 2011 to 289 government and private companies.
Coal-block allocations came under the scanner in August when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) submitted a report in parliament alleging a notional loss of Rs 1.86 trillion on account of coal block allocations. It also alleged the blocks were awarded in an opaque manner.
