Three more coal blocks de-allocated.

The ongoing controversy over coal blocks has led the government to hasten efforts to introduce auctioning for future allocations, but the framework devised for bidding has ignored a crucial suggestion by the Chawla committee that could prevent eruption of a similar scam in future. This is despite the panel’s clarification that there is no legal bar disallowing implementation of the suggestion.

Ashok Chawla, former finance secretary and now head of the Competition Commission, had chaired a panel on allocation of natural resources. In its report in May last year, it had recommended allowing independent mining companies to participate in the bidding for captive blocks, provided their end-user companies were suitably notified.

New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday questioned Abhijeet Group’s Manoj Jayaswal and his brother Arvind and asked several questions about former minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia’s link with the

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.

Sudhir Kant Sahay is honorary executive director of the company

Even as the Coal Ministry on Monday decided to cancel the allocation of the Gourangdih ABC block in West Bengal, owned by Sajjan Jindal’s JSW Steel Ltd. and Himachal EMTA, it delayed action against SKS Ispat, linked to Sudhir Kant Sahay, brother of Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay, leading to speculation about political pressure on the issue.

On June 4, 2008, Arvind Jain, chairman of CII Chhattisgarh, wrote a letter to the divisional forest officer, Korba, saying that since coal blocks of a few companies fell in the area of a proposed e

New Delhi The government on Monday cancelled the allocation of another coal block over allegations of irregularities and deducted bank guarantees of two allottees for failing to develop the mines in time. The cancelled allocation was that of Gourangdih ABC block given to JSW Steel and Himachal EMTA.

The move follows the recommendation of the inter-ministerial group (IMG), which is scrutinising 29 blocks awarded to the private parties out of the total 58 that were issued showcause notices for delays in development. Some of these find mention in the Comptroller and Auditor General's recent performance audit report on captive coal blocks.

IMG recommends bank guarantee deduction of Tata Power and Hindalco

JSW Steel and Himachal Emta Power today lost a coal block in West Bengal, while Tata Power and Hindalco Industries are likely to lose the bank guarantee for their block in Jharkhand. Today, the government cancelled the allocation of the Gourangdih ABC block in West Bengal’s Raniganj coalfields. Deallocation of the block, being developed by JSW Steel and Himachal Emta Power, was recommended on Friday by an inter-ministerial group (IMG) looking into irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks.

Deallocates Gourangdih ABC, jointly given to JSW Steel & Himachal EMTA, with this, govt has approved cancellation of licenses of 5 coal blocks

The Government today decided to deallocate one more mine - Gourangdih ABC, jointly given to JSW Steel and Himachal EMTA besides deduction of bank guarantees of two allottees for failing to develop mines within time. This follows the recommendation made by Inter-Ministerial group (IMG) which is scrutinising 29 blocks awarded to the private parties out of the total 58 which were given show cause notices for delays in development and some of these find mention in CAG report.

Change of ownership at Veerangana Steels under scanner

The government’s high-level panel looking into the controversial coal block allocations for captive mining has decided against cancelling three blocks, given to Nagpur-based Shree Veerangana Steels. This is despite the company facing the government’s ire for having allegedly sold its blocks by selling ownership of the firm, in violation of the norms. The inter-ministerial group (IMG) had in its review meeting on Wednesday recommended deducting the company’s bank guarantee but said the block should not be cancelled, due to the progress made by Veerangana in developing the reserves.