NTPC asked to report about de-allocated blocks

The Ministry of Coal had asked NTPC for the progress report on the coal blocks, including the development of the end-use plants for which the mines were allocated.

The coal ministry had deallocated five coal blocks of the country’s largest power producer, NTPC, over its failure to develop the blocks within the time frame stipulated in the production sharing agreement.The five blocks— Chatti Bariatu, Chatti Bariatu (South), Kerandari, Brahmani and Chichiro Patsimal— were awarded to a joint venture between NTPC and state-run Coal India.

The coal ministry had decided to deallocate mines awarded to companies that had failed to develop them in a time-bound manner on the recommendations of a panel that reviewed the progress made by steel, power, cement and other firms in developing 88 coal and lignite blocks allotted for captive use.

The coal ministry had cancelled the coal blocks of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation (APGENCO), Tenughat Vidyut Nigam, Bihar State Mineral Development Corporation and the Jharkhand State Electricity Board.