Taking the auction process forward, the government has put 40 more coal mines on offer for auction and allotment, of which 26 blocks would go to the power sector.
As per the list, of the 40 mines, 23 mines that are close to production have been earmarked for auction, while 17 others, including Tara East, Parsa East and Kanta Basan, would be allotted directly.
The mines to be auctioned to the power sector include DurgapurII/Taraimar and Durgapur II/Sariya, Utkal B1 and B2, Mandakini, Utkal C, Jitpur, Ganeshpur and Tara.
Apart from this, 14 mines would be allotted to companies in iron and steel, cement besides captive power plants, which included Gare Palma IV/8, Marki-Mangli-IV, Dumri and Lohari blocks. According to a government document, conduct of electronic auction for the mines in the schedule III category (ready to produce) will take place between February 25 and March 5. An initial list of 23 mines had already been announced. The government on December 25 kick-started the auction process for 204 coal mines that were cancelled by the Supreme Court.
