Coal ministry panel to identify mines for auction

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) The coal ministry proposes to form a panel to identify coal blocks for allocation through auction and government dispensation route.

"A technical committee, under the chairmanship of adviser (projects), Ministry of Coal, is proposed to be constituted for identifying new coal/lignite blocks for offer with the approval of competent authority," said a notice on the ministry's website.

The seven-member panel will consist of members from Coal India and Central Mine Planning and Design Institute among others.

The ministry had last year identified 54 mines for allocation. Of these, 16 were earmarked for state-run companies, 16 for the power sector and 22 for allocation through auctioning.

Last month, the ministry started the process of allotting and invited proposals from state-run companies for coal blocks.

The terms of reference of the panel include identification of additional coal blocks for offer from the area explored in the last four years, examining the statues of the development of coal-bed methane (CBM) blocks and allotment of blocks from such areas, where potential for CBM is not significant.

According to the ministry, the proposed technical committee would also "examine the status of preparedness of CIL (Coal India Limited) for development of already allotted blocks to them and find out scope of re-allocation of blocks of CIL, keeping in view their production commitments till the end of the 12th Plan."