A high-level panel in the environment ministry has deferred a decision on granting green approval to Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd's underground coal mining project in Chhattisgarh.

"The proponent informed the Committee (Expert Appraisal Committee) that the Inter Ministerial Group (IMG) had recommended that block is liable for deallocation.... In view of the recommendations of the IMG, the Committee deferred the project for further consideration," an official source said.