“The Centre has already allotted two coal blocks, Manoharpur and dip-side Manoharpur blocks, to the Odisha Coal and Power Limited (OCPL), a joint venture between the Odisha Power Generation Corporation and Odisha Hydro Power Corporation.”
The state government has urged the Centre to allocate a coal block to any of its public sector undertakings (PSUs) for commercial use.
Energy minister Pranab Prakash Das raised the issue during his recent meeting with Union power minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi.
“Since most of the coal blocks from the state have been earmarked for power sectors, other sectors like steel, aluminium and cement industry would face acute shortage of coal. I urged the Centre to allocate the coal block to any state PSU so that it can sell coal to non-power sectors,” Das told TOI.
Earlier in March, chief secretary G C Pati in a letter to Union coal secretary Anil Swarup demanded allocation Patrapada coal block to Odisha Mining Corporation for sale of coal to steel, cement and aluminum industries.
Of the total 29 coal blocks in the state, 19 have been identified for auction in the first phase. Of the 19, only one block has been earmarked for steel, cement and aluminium sectors. The remaining are for the power sector, official sources said.
“The disproportionately high extent of blocks earmarked for power sector would not only affect the mineral- based industries but also bring down the revenue of the government,” said an officer of the energy department.
In a letter to Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi in February, chief minister Shri.Naveen Patnaik also raised objection to earmarking more coal blocks for the power sector.
Prasanta Patnaik