The Hindu Business Line : Exploration permitted on allotted coal blocks

New Delhi, Sept. 14 The Coal Ministry has decided that all companies that have been allotted unexplored coal blocks can do the exploration by themselves.

So far, the policy was that only the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL) could do the exploration or allow allottees to do the exploration under its supervision.

“This decision is important from the point of view that a large number of coal blocks have been allocated to private as well as Government companies, where detailed exploration has not been done. In order to get production from these blocks at the earliest it is required that detailed exploration of these blocks is done expeditiously,” a senior official in the Coal Ministry told Business Line.

The official added that CMPDIL would provide the coordinated boundary of the block for coal companies and in case of lignite Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) will provide the coordinated boundary.

Keeping tab

The Ministry has also said that to keep a tab and to ensure adherence to the guidelines on exploration, which would generate data to update the national resources inventory on behalf of the Government, CMPDIL and NCL would be authorised to conduct random checks during the course of such activities.

“During the course of the checks or in case any inappropriateness is detected in the geological report or in any other form, the agencies can have additional boreholes drilled along with the core analysis and all necessary data analysed at the cost of the block allottee to cross check the available information,” the official said.

The companies who have been allotted the blocks are also required to inform and submit the detailed exploration programme with the time schedules before starting the exploration activities. “Though it is not yet decided, it may be a quarterly report that the CMPDIL will call for. The companies have to also indicate the meterage that has been drilled, the number of boreholes completed with the depth and general seam characteristics that have been encountered,” the official added.

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