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Coal-fired political minefields dominate 2012

During the year, govt also contemplated to open up sector for commercial mining Coal fired a minefield of controversies in 2012, fuelled by CAG estimates of a huge Rs 1.86 lakh crore loss for allocation of coal blocks to business houses without auction which served as fodder to the Opposition parties to target the government. The blaze started from a leaked draft report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that initially had a figure of Rs 10.6 lakh crore loss resulting from the controversial allocation of coal blocks to about 100 companies without bidding.
Top infra firms bid for rural ministry project

Big names like Reliance Energy, Tata Power, Jindal Steel, Tata Reality and Infrastructure, IL&FS, IDFC have shown interest. PURA, the pet theme of former President Abdul Kalam -- Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas
State expedites renewal of 40 mines

The Directorate of Mines on Monday informed the Supreme Court appointed Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) that it has completed the process of lease renewal of 40 mines, which are working under deemed extension provision. “The CEC queried about the status of mines operating under deemed extension provision. We informed them that we have sent recommendation letters for 40 mines out of 50 working under deemed extension basis. Rest of the cases will be expedited soon,” said Deepak Mohanty, after his meeting with CEC officials here on Monday.
SC notice to Centre, CBI over Coalgate

New Delhi Refusing to scrap the government’s decision under which 194 coal blocks were allocated to various companies, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and the CBI on a PIL seeking probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the alleged irregularities. The PIL, filed by various members of civil society, including former CEC N Gopalaswami, ex-Navy chief L Ramdas and former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian, has leveled allegations of unfairness and arbitrariness in the allocation of 194 blocks and sought cancellation of the licenses granted by the government.
- 20/11/2012
- Financial Express (New Delhi)
Steel makers seek minister's intervention

NMDC has raised iron ore prices by 8-13 per cent for domestic sales Fearing a further squeeze on profit margins, steel manufacturers have sought intervention of the ministry of steel in the issue of the recent “arbitrary” price increase in iron ore price by state-owned NMDC. In a letter dated August 30, signed by Alok Chandra, chairman of the Sponge Iron Manufacturers Association (Sima), steel and sponge iron producers argued that NMDC’s price rise came even as the the price of iron ore had declined substantially in global markets. NMDC has raised iron ore prices by 8-13 per cent for domestic sales.
Odisha to India Inc: Pony Up 50kcr

The Odisha government has asked leading steel and iron ore companies to pay over . 50,000 crore for alleged illegal and excess mining in a move that could lead to a lengthy standoff between the private
Stained steel

The iron and steel sector is non-transparent, non-compliant with weak environmental norms and is getting away with it because of an even weaker regulatory framework When the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) started its Green Rating Project in the mid-1990s, India had just liberalised its economy. There were fears that it would be disastrous if the country took the route to economic growth that ignored environmental considerations. The Green Rating Project was designed to find ways of measuring the environmental performance of companies and to drive changes in policy and practice through public disclosure.
- 11/06/2012
- Business Standard (New Delhi)
Green Terror

The wood panelled office in Delhi's Paryavaran Bhawan is now a 'no-go' zone. Its reigning green queen, Jayanthi Natarajan , once a daily fixture on television shows as Congress spokeswoman, presides in
Amid blues, steelmakers in red

Forced to cut prices by 2-3% due to cheaper imports from Japan, Korea and China At a time when the mining sector in Karnataka seems to be getting back on track, the steel sector faces another hurdle—pricing. With global steel prices on a downswing, owing to low raw material rates, Indian companies are taking a hit on margins because of rising local iron ore rates. Domestic companies have also been forced to cut prices. In August, steel makers reduced prices by two to three per cent, not because of a slowdown in demand, but because of cheaper steel brought from Japan, Korea and China.
Mines can’t be doled out as largesse

New Delhi: While agreeing with the constitution bench that auction was not the only constitutionally permissible mode for distribution, Justice J S Khehar in a separate opinion referred to the Mines and
Union Coal Ministry sluggish in acting on Inter-Ministerial Group recommendations

Last week, Sriprakash Jaiswal said files were yet to reach him The Coal Ministry has not acted upon the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for de-allocating six additional coal blocks and deduct bank guarantee in the case of seven companies. Although the IMG had submitted its final recommendations relating to the treatment of 29 coal blocks allotted to private parties, who were issued show cause notices, the Coal Ministry, under Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, has failed to initiate further action in pending cases
SKS Ispat, Bhushan Steel lose their coal blocks

The coal ministry on Tuesday approved the deallocation of captive blocks held by SKS Ispat and Bhushan Steel, based on the recommendations of an inter-ministerial group (IMG) reviewing progress on the blocks. At a meeting on Tuesday, the panel also recommended deallocating a block being developed by Bihar Sponge. SKS Ispat’s Rawanwara North block and Bhushan Steel’s New Patrapara block, deallocated on Tuesday by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, together hold reserves of 1,216 mt. SKS Ispat was recently in news after its name figured in the alleged allocation scam. Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay’s brother Sudhir Kant Sahay is an executive director in the company.
- 19/09/2012
- Business Standard (New Delhi)
MoEF involved in forest land scam?

The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has been accused of allocating over 1.86 lakh hectares of forest land for mining without the consent of gram sabhas as has been made mandatory under the Forest Rights Act. In all, 1,82,389 hectares of forest land was diverted by the environment ministry between January 2008 and August 2011. The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) headed by T. Chatterjee, secretary of MoEF, has recommended diversion of four additional projects located in prime forest land in 2012. This includes 151,762 hectares for the Lara Super Thermal Power Plant in the Raigarh district of Chattisgarh and 766,393 hectares of forest land for the Talaipall Coal Mining Project in the Raigarh and Dharmajaigarh forest divisions of Chattisgarh.
- 18/09/2012
- Asian Age (New Delhi)
SC notice to Centre on coal block allocations

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on a public interest suit seeking to quash the allotment of 194 coal blocks to private companies in six states. The government will have to respond to six questions from the court. Solicitor General R F Nariman accepted the notice and the case would be heard after two months. The court has asked the government to produce the guidelines and the process adopted for the allocation of blocks. It also wants to know if there are any in-built mechanisms to ensure the allocations do not lead to distribution of largesse unfairly to a few private firms.
Firms must bid to sell captive coal power: Moily

New Delhi The power ministry has framed new bidding guidelines to prevent private firms with cheap captive coal mines selling power at steep rates in the open market and reaping windfall profits. Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of the Express group, power minister Veerappa Moily said the guidelines would require companies in all segments — ultra mega, captive and merchant — generating power to participate in bidding for selling electricity. The minister said there would be no large-scale coal block cancellations, assuring the money lent by the banks to power companies would be safe. Moily said the new bidding guidelines would resolve the immediate problems in the coal and power sector.
Govt wakes up to captive miners profiteering

Mulls clause to mandate participation in tariff-based bidding for power The brouhaha over coal block allocations has goaded the government into correcting the policy imperfections that have long prevailed in India’s coal mining sector. It is planning a clause to make it mandatory for captive miners to take part in tariff-based bidding for power. A few miners have been selling power produced through coal from their captive mines in the open market to make profits. The coal ministry now plans to add the mandatory clause in captive miners’ allotment letters.
- 12/09/2012
- Hindu (New Delhi)
10 Coal Blocks Run Risk of Cancellation

Pvt owners haven’t done much to develop them for years. About 10 coal blocks given to private companies face the risk of penalties, including cancellation, as their owners have not been able to do much
- 11/09/2012
- Economic Times (New Delhi)
Ministerial panel to decide fate of 17 blocks

An inter-ministerial panel under the coal ministry will decide the fate of allocation of 17 captive coal blocks allotted to big corporate houses, next week. This is on the back of severe delays in their development. This comes close on the heels of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigating the alleged corruption in allocation of blocks. The coal ministry had recently issued showcause notices to the companies, which own the mining rights of the 17 blocks allocated between 2006 and 2009. Through the notices, the ministry had threatened the companies of cancelling their allotments and sought justifications for the delay.
States blocked coal auction plan: Centre

New Delhi As many as 50 of the 57 captive coal blocks allocated to private firms, which are at the centre of a row over a damning CAG report, haven’t yet got various other statutory clearances. Coal minister
JSW seeks PMO intervention for securing iron ore mining lease

Sajjan Jindal, chairman, JSW Steel, said in a letter ore output has not stabilised in state despite the Supreme Court lifting mining ban in April. JSW Steel has sought the intervention of Prime Minister’s
- 26/08/2013
- Business Standard (New Delhi)

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Coal-fired political minefields dominate 2012

Top infra firms bid for rural ministry project

State expedites renewal of 40 mines

SC notice to Centre, CBI over Coalgate

Steel makers seek minister's intervention

Odisha to India Inc: Pony Up 50kcr

Stained steel

Green Terror

Amid blues, steelmakers in red

Mines can’t be doled out as largesse

Union Coal Ministry sluggish in acting on Inter-Ministerial Group recommendations

SKS Ispat, Bhushan Steel lose their coal blocks

MoEF involved in forest land scam?

SC notice to Centre on coal block allocations

Firms must bid to sell captive coal power: Moily

Govt wakes up to captive miners profiteering

10 Coal Blocks Run Risk of Cancellation

Ministerial panel to decide fate of 17 blocks

States blocked coal auction plan: Centre

JSW seeks PMO intervention for securing iron ore mining lease

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