Coal Minister dismisses price hike

Kolkata, May 3 (UNI) Minister of State for Coal Santosh Bagrodia today ruled out price hike of coal, saying the Coal India Ltd would augment both extraction and supply to meet increasing demand.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the CIL would supply 15 million ton of coal each month till July with effect from May against three million ton to meet the increasing demand at notified price.

The CIL would enhance production to 6.5 per cent and even go up to 12 per cent to become self-sufficient to meet the demand in large, medium and small industries and for domestic use.

The CIL had produced 380 million ton of coal last fiscal and planned to mine 405 to 420 million ton of coal this fiscal, said Mr Bagrodia.

He said efforts were on to produce quality coal and setting up of washeries at pit heads for enhancement of coke having great demand in some selected industrial houses.

On checking corruption, the Ministry would go for "zero" tolerance from the Minister to a common worker in the pit as vigilance and policing had been increased in all CIL subsidiaries, Mr Bagdoria said.

He, however, admitted the constraint in getting land for new mining both in open cast and underground due non-availibility of immediate rehabilitation of would be displaced people.

UNI PC SJC DB1905