Cos without green nod to lose coal block; govt sends notices to 61 firms

The government has decided todeallocate all the captive coal blocks which have not obtainedenvironment and in-principle forest clearances and has issued

show-cause notice to allocatees of 61 such mines.

The move comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Courtposing some tough questions on allocation process for coalblocks and questioning the Centre over the functioning of thescreening committee that made allotment recommendations.

“The following coal blocks will be deallocated… Coalblocks where environmental clearance and forest clearancestage-I (in-principle) have not been obtained,” S K Shahi,Director in the Coal Ministry, said in a letter to allocateesof 61 blocks.

Coal blocks, which are unexplored or partially exploredat the time of allocation and where prospecting licence (PL)has not been obtained, will also be cancelled, it said.The letter further added that in cases of coal blockswhere PL has been issued but geological reports have not beenprepared will also be cancelled.

Tata Steel, ArcelorMittal, Hindalco, Jindal Steel andPower, JSW Steel, Essar Power, Adani Power, Tata Power, GVKPower and Infrastructure, Ultratech Cement, Reliance Energy,Sterlite Energy and JP Associates are some of the allocateeswho feature in the list of 61.

Some blocks, which are already under the scrutiny of CBIsuch as Mahan to Essar Power and Hindalco, Brinda Sasai andMeral to Abhijeet Infrastructure, Bander to AMR Iron andSteel, also figure in the list.

Fatehpur coal block, allocated to SKS Ispat & Power Ltd,the company allegedly linked to former Union Minister SubodhKant Sahay, is also a part of the list.The allocatees have been given time till February 5 toobtain the requisite clearances and produce proofs insupport of approvals.

Within a week thereafter (after February 5), a decision for deallocation will be taken," the letter said, adding that this notice supersedes all previous notices on the matter. It also said that allocatees who have secured EC and FC Stage-I and have applied for FC stage-II (final clearance) have time till February 12 to submit their response along with documentary evidence to their claims.

The list of 61 blocks include Kotre Basantpur and Pachmo and Ganeshpur blocks of Tata Steel, Seregarha to ArcelorMittal and GVK Power, Tubed to Hindalco and Tata Power and Lohara West and Lohara Extension to Adani Power. Jindal Steel and Power’s 3 blocks – Utkal B1, Gare Palma IV/6 and Jitpur also part of the 61. Rohne, jointly allocated to JSW Steel and Bhushan Power and Steel’s, too figure in the list. Mandakini block to Monnet Ispat and Energy, Jindal Photo

and Tata Power, Rampia and Dipside of Rampia blocks to Sterlite Energy, GMR Energy, Lanco, ArcelorMittal, Reliance Energy and Nabbharat Power are also in the list of 61 blocks.

Besides questioning the functioning of the screening committee yesterday, the Supreme Court was also critical of the Centre for its “laxity” in deallocating coal blocks from entities which held them for long without meeting necessary clearances.

PTI