M A I N   N E W S

IMG to review 10 more coal blocks
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

more de-allocations could follow After the government de-allocated four coal blocks and levied penalty on four others yesterday on the recommendations of the IMG, the group headed by Additional Secretary Coal Zohra Chatterjee took up 10 more blocks More de-allocations could follow over the next week as the IMG continues with the review of the presentations made over three days earlier in the month

New Delhi, September 14
The Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) on coal today began another round of consultations on the presentations made by private companies on coal blocks allocated to them that have seen no development.

After the government de-allocated four coal blocks and levied penalty on four others yesterday on the recommendations of the IMG, the group headed by Additional Secretary Coal Zohra Chatterjee took up 10 more blocks to review the presentations made by their owners over the three days from September 6 to 8.

Sources in the Coal Ministry said the inter ministerial body, which started its meeting in the evening, would carry on till later in the night and prepare the report on the presentations by the companies only tomorrow.

The action, if any, would be recommended to the Coal Ministry on Monday for it to be notified by government.

Reports suggested that more de-allocations could follow over the next week as the IMG continues with the review of the presentations made over three days earlier in the month.

A total of 58 show-cause notices had been issued by the IMG, which had been set up in July following reports that the coal blocks issued to the private companies had not been developed, resulting in loss to the exchequer.

The action yesterday came in the wake of the Opposition’s allegations that the government implemented a coal policy that provided windfall benefits to private players and cost the country thousands of crores.

Besides, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) came out with the report that there had been a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the national exchequer due to the allocation of these coal blocks, which forced the IMG into action.

Of the 58 show-cause notices issued by the Inter Ministerial Group, 29 coal block owners had been summoned on the three days to give their side of the version for not developing the coal blocks.

Sources said the rest of the coal blocks owners would also be summoned over a period of time.