New Delhi: The inter-ministerial group (IMG) on coal block allocations is to meet again on Friday as it couldn’t finalize the list of companies that needed to have their allotments reviewed.
“We will meet day after tomorrow,” one of the participants at Wednesday’s meeting said on condition of anonymity.
Another person who attended said it seemed unlikely that IMG will be able to meet its 15 September deadline to submit its report to coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal.
“Yes,” said Zohra Chatterji, additional secretary in the coal ministry who heads IMG, when asked to confirm if another meeting will be held.
IMG has officials from the ministries of steel, power and finance among others. It has been meeting amid political clamour for the cancellation of all allotments made after 2004.
At stake are blocks of companies such as Tata Sponge Iron Ltd, Hindalco Industries Ltd, JSW Steel Ltd, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd, and some smaller companies such as Jayaswal Neco.
IMG has met several times since last week to review 27 private companies from a list of 58 that were given show-cause notices in April and May by the coal ministry.
