Coal news and updates

Locate files for CBI, Coal Ministry tells authorities

The Coal Ministry has asked the authorities concerned, including Steel Ministry and CIL, to locate files concerning mines’ allocation as the CBI has been seeking documents from it, especially the applications made for blocks allotment.

“The Ministry of Coal has been regularly receiving references from the CBI seeking documents, specially the copies of applications made for allocation of coal blocks,” according to the minutes of the meeting held last month under the Chairmanship of Additional Secretary Coal A K Dubey.

Mr. Dubey has “directed that all the concerned ministries/ departments, CMPDIL and CIL (Coal India) subsidiary may make vigorous efforts to trace/locate the remaining applications/ documents/files so that the same could be handed over to CBI timely,” the minutes said.

Furnishing the documents was of utmost importance since non-availability of records could hamper the investigation, the Additional Secretary has said.

The minutes did not specify the number of files that have been submitted so far, or the ones being sought by CBI.

The representative of the Steel Ministry stated that his ministry has since handed over some more documents to CBI related to various coal blocks.

“The Chairman requested the representative to forward the list of documents handed over to the CBI to this ministry also... He also requested to hand over the remaining applications/documents relating to allocation of coal blocks as requisitioned by CBI, to this ministry,” the minutes said.

The representative from the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was requested to trace the applications of coal block allocatees as requisitioned by CBI relating to cement sector.

Representatives from CIL’s consultancy firm informed that CMPDIL had provided a number of documents/applications to the ministry and search was still on for the remaining.

CBI which is probing irregularities in coal mines allocation has filed 16 FIRs against AMR Iron and Steel, JLD Yavatmal Energy, Vini Iron and Steel Udyog, JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd, Vikash Metals, Grace Industries, Gagan Sponge, Jindal Steel and Power, Rathi Steel and Power Ltd, Jharkhand Ispat, Green Infrastructure, Kamal Sponge, Pushp Steel, Hindalco, BLA Industries, Castron Technologies and Castron Mining.

All these FIRs are rooted in three preliminary enquiries related to coal block allocation — between 2006 and 2009, 1993 and 2004, and projects given under the government dispensation scheme.

There are two other preliminary enquiries which are related to missing files.

Source: The Hindu