Govt to auction 9 coal blocks in 4th round

Government has added another coal block to the list of mines to be auctioned in the fourth round next month, taking the total number of blocks on sale tonine.It had kick-started the process last month for the fourth round of e-auctioning eight coal blocks. Bhaskarpara mine in Chhattisgarh "is added to the list ofcoal mines earmarked for 4th tranche of auction", according to the Coal Ministry.The mine is earmarked for the non-regulated sector, iron and steel, cement and captive power plants, it said. The next round of mines auction is slated for January 18-22 next year.The last three rounds of auction have generated proceeds of more than Rs 3 lakh crore, which would be realised over 30 years by states where the mines are located."It has been decided to auction eight Schedule III coal mines earmarked for non-regulated sectors like, iron and steel, cement and captive power plants in the fourth tranche. The e-auction for these mines will be held from January 18 to January 22, 2016," Coal Secretary Anil Swarup had earlier said.Besides Bhaskarpara mine in Chhattisgarh, the coal blocks to be put under the hammer are Brahmapuri and Suliyari in Madhya Pradesh, Bundu and Gondulpura in Jharkhand, Gondkhari and Khappa & Extn in Maharashtra and Jaganathpur A and Jaganathpur B in West Bengal.The Supreme Court in September last year had cancelled the allocation of 204 coal mines to companies without auction.