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Coal controller to collect data for 74 auction coal blocks

The Centre has asked the coal controller's office to collect data for 74 coal blocks that are to be auctioned and hand it over to a central sector company tasked with arriving at a reserve price for each block after compiling the data. "The PSU that has been handed over the responsibility of compiling the data does not have access to these blocks.

 The coal controller, however, has offices at each state that holds coal reserves," said a senior official involved with the process. "An officer from the coal controller's office, accompanied by officials from the PSU, will visit the offices at each block and collect the data," the person said.

Data will include grade of coal in the reserves, investments made in setting up equipment and building infrastructure.

The coal ministry has already asked private companies that were allotted blocks to provide these data to the coal controller.

Of the 74 coal blocks, 32 have not started production. These blocks have stage-1 and stage-2 environmental clearances from the government.

There are 37 producing blocks while five blocks are ready to produce. Meanwhile, the Centre has yet to arrive at a benchmark price for coal, based on which the reserve prices are to be determined.

Source: ET