Patiala, August 26
No coal rake was received at either Lehra Mohabbat and Bathinda power stations of the PSEB today. However, the Ropar station received four rakes.

Yesterday no coal rake was received at the Lehra Mohabbat station. However two rakes were received at Bathinda and four at Ropar stations. Usually two rakes each are received at Lehra and Bathinda stations and six rakes at the Ropar power station.

The PSEB has made a piecemeal payment of Rs 31 crore last week to coal companies. The board owes Rs 69 crore, Rs 25.5 crore, Rs 4.7 crore and Rs 7.5 crore to the Central Coalfields, Ranchi, Western Coalfields, Nagpur, South Eastern Coalfields, Bilaspur, and the Bharat Cooking Coal, Dhanbad, respectively. According to sources, in case the Board does not pay up the dues, the companies might be forced to operate the letter of credits of the Board.

Recently the Principal Secretary, Finance, Mr Lakhanpal, in a communication, flatly refused to pay any more money to the Board and asked it to generate money on its own. The government had earlier clarified that it would adjust the remaining Rs 100 crore due from it against electricity duty which is charged from the consumers.

The board's coal bills having mounted to Rs 111 crore, Railway freight charges to Rs 200 crore and power purchase bills to Rs 40 crore. The Board has also been refused loans by leading creditors.

With the Board's financial rating having come down to A minus from A positive it has not been successful in securing any loan since April this year. The Board had tried to get a loan of around Rs 250 crore to tide over the present financial crisis even as it awaited the decision of the Regulatory Commission.