Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Coal ministry to defend allocation policy in SC-Priyadarshi Siddhanta
Coal ministry to defend allocation policy in SC-Priyadarshi Siddhanta

Coal ministry to defend allocation policy in SC-Priyadarshi Siddhanta

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Mar 14, 2013   modified Modified on Mar 14, 2013
-The Indian Express

The coal ministry is likely to tell the Supreme Court that allocations made through the screening committee route were "unimpeachable and unquestionable".

A day after the Supreme Court rapped the government saying all coal blocks allocated during 2006-09 can be summarily de-allocated if breach of procedures in the defined allocation process is established, coal ministry officials are sure they can defend the policy.

They aim to include the comments of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which too has informed Parliament it did not question the rationale of the policy employed.

"The ministry is expected to maintain the same position in its inputs to the Attorney General. The allocation policy for the mines was not arbitrary or flawed," as is being alleged by the CBI a source said on condition of anonymity since he is not authorised to talk to the media.

The ministry is awaiting the return of coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal but the source said they have already conveyed their position to the Attorney General, Goolam Vahanvati.

The court's observations were based on the submissions made in a CBI status report on the inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks during the UPA-I regime.

The ministry will tell the court that during the period under CBI gaze, allocation of blocks through the committee route was the best available choice to meet the rapidly rising demand when private mining of coal for direct sale to end users was not permitted.

The ministry is also likely to contend that decisions of the screening committee on allocations during the period cannot be questioned because along with the top officials of concerned ministries of the Union government, chief secretaries of the states were also its members and decisions were taken through consensus.

"The proposals were considered after being vetted by the respective states", the source said.

The Comptroller and Auditor General in its report in August last year claimed that the allotment process had entailed a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer, since the state.

"Thus a transparent method for allocation of coal blocks was not followed by the screening committee," the report on augmentation of coal block production for the year 2012 noted.

The coal ministry is also claiming that it issued a spate of de-allocation letters for the blocks besides forfeiting bank guarantees completely or partially in 16 cases. "So for the fault of the allocattees, the screening committee cannot be hauled up to say it did a less-than-expected job", the source added.
 

The Indian Express, 14 March, 2013, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/coal-ministry-to-defend-allocation-policy-in-sc/1087660/0


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close