Coal news and updates

Clearance hurdles should end soon: Coal secy

November 4: The statutory clearance issues which have been a serious hurdle for new and brownfield expansion projects in the country’s coal sector should become a thing of the past in the coming years, Union Coal Secretary S K Srivastava said.

“All the ministries – railways, environment, power and steel – have realised that if the various (clearance) hurdles facing the coal sector are not addressed properly, there will be serious implications for the economy,” Srivastava said while addressing the 39th Coal India Ltd (CIL) Foundation Day in Kolkata on November 1.

Stressing that “past is past”, the coal secretary said, “I am very confident that the clearance hurdles will be resolved in the near future.”

He further said the recent performance of core sector industries shows remarkable growth in September 2013, with the coal sector topping the charts with over 12% growth year-on-year. “This is very encouraging data, but the remaining 5 months will be very crucial,” he added.