Coal news and updates

MbPT assures HC of coal stock clearance by March

Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has categorically stated to the Bombay High Court on January 14 that the port does not want to handle coal and will clear the remaining coal lying at the port within the next three months.

The port had stopped coal handling from October 31, 2015 to adhere to a court order.

The port had published a notice on September 9, 2015 stating that vessels carrying coal will not be allowed at the port after September 24 and coal importers would have to clear the area by October 30. 

But even after that nearly 70,000 tons of coal were lying at the port’s Haji Bandar area.

The port informed the court that the coal stocks were still lying at Haji Bandar because importers and contractors had not cleared the land despite repeated notices from the port trust. 

The port trust further assured the court that it would auction the coal if the same was not cleared.

In previous court hearings, alternative coal handling destinations were discussed and the feasibility of Dharamtar Port came up.

On January 14, the counsel for Dharamtar Port said that initially Maharashtra State Power Generation Co Ltd (MAHAGENCO) was handling coal through Haji Bandar but now it has started receiving coal through Dharamtar Port. However, the court asked Dharamtar Port to file an affidavit regarding this.

Source: ICMW