The Ministry of Coal has decided to simplify the process of getting clearances for coal mining projects. An official statement said that this will expedite operationalisation of already allotted coal blocks and also encourage prospective investors or bidders in future auctions.

The Coal Ministry has re-engineered the Mining Plan preparation and approval process. This is likely to slash the approval period from existing 90 days to about 30 days. The re-engineering process includes simplification of guidelines and format for preparing Mining Plan, amendments in relevant provisions of Mineral Concession Rules, 1960 and approval process, the statement said.

The proposed simplified guidelines and format not only reduce the mining plan formulation time but also make the document lighter and easier to comprehend. This will further facilitate hosting the soft copy in an accessible data base, the statement added.

The proposed system of mining plan preparation and approval allows the leasee to get the mining plan prepared by Mining Plan Preparing Agency (MPPA) and get it certified by Mining Plan Certifying Agency (MPCA) and submit the mining plan to Ministry of Coal for approval. This will improve the quality and reduce time for detailed scrutiny.

In the next phase, the entire Mining Plan approval process is proposed to be made online for application, processing and approval. This system will ultimately interact with PARIVESH portal of the Environment Ministry and similar portals of other related ministries and organisations of the Central and State Governments.

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