NEW DELHI: The Central government plans to put on auction 17 mines surrendered by public sector undertakings which could not put the blocks into operation, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.
The statement comes in the wake of the government making efforts to ramp up domestic coal production to ensure adequate availability of dry fuel to different sectors. "Just the-day-before Sunday I got 17 blocks back and they are very good blocks and I am putting them for auction now," Joshi said.
Addressing a conference on the Indian minerals and metals industry organised by National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the minister said many PSUs in the country in sectors like coal were sitting on big mines.
The government decided to take away all those mines from the public sector undertakings which do not get into operation even after the lapse of five to six years and put them on sale. "I talked to the chief ministers and ministers of a few states and asked them the reasons for sitting on mines.
These mines could not get into operation even after 10 to 15 years," Joshi said. He also said that his ministry was in deliberations with the Ministry of Environment and Forest on how the exploration of mines can happen without cutting down trees.
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