By IANS,
New Delhi : Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal Monday said 194 coal blocks in the country, with reserves of about 44.44 billion tonnes, are under various stages of development and production.
“Out of these (194 blocks), 28 coal blocks have come into production. The rest of the blocks are in various stages of development,” Jaiswal informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question.
He said that initially 216 coal blocks with reserves of about 50 billion tonnes were allocated to eligible public and private companies, but later 24 blocks were de-allocated.
The minister further said that the government periodically reviews the development of allocated blocks as well as end-use by plants.
“Wherever delays are noticed, government issues show cause notices and advisories to such allocatees, cautioning them to bring the coal blocks into production as per the guidelines,” the reply said.