Coal news and updates

‘MoEF support commensurate with CIL’s growth plans’

September 16: Coal India Ltd (CIL) Chairman S Narsing Rao feels the support received from the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) is commensurate with the company’s mammoth task of meeting the coal demand of the country.

“There is no reason to complain against the MoEF and the other arms of the Government of India, but there are still some issues with getting clearances from state governments,” Rao told ICMW.

Asked if the support from the MoEF is commensurate with the mammoth task of meeting coal demand for 78 GW of power generation for which FSAs are being signed, Rao said, “The support we are getting is commensurate with our task. Clearances are, by and large, coming for whatever plans and projects we have submitted.”

“At the Government of India level, the number of pending projects has come down to a minimal. Most of the projects have been cleared. But still there are some issues in certain cases,” he said.

At least 70 projects were waiting for environmental and forest clearances in April 2012 when Rao took charge as CMD of CIL.

“I don’t think major environmental issues are pending except that in the last one-and-half months the term of the EAP committee expired and it is in the process of forming a new panel so the proposals submitted by us during this period might have been affected.

Otherwise, there are no environment clearances pending at the central level,” Rao said.

“However, clearances are pending at various levels in the states though there are even no pending forest clearances at the central level,” he added.