MSTC to conduct auction of 132 coal blocks this month; suggests bidders to read all notifications

Auction of as many as 132 coal mines will be conducted this month under the sixth tranche in states including Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal among others, according to MSTC CMD Surinder Kumar Gupta.

MSTC, under the Ministry of Steel, conducts e-auction of various materials and minerals and mines.

This will be the sixth tranche of auction under which a total of 141 blocks, including 132 coal and nine lignite mines will be put on the block, he told PTI.

The CMD clarified that MSTC only conducts auctions as per the list of coal mines and relevant notifications provided by the Coal Ministry and suggested bidders to read all bid-related notifications.

"MSTC is in no way involved in any policy making process... As provided by the Coal Ministry...a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated 27.2.2020... has been uploaded in the auction portal. All the bidders are suggested to check all the notifications uploaded in our portal including the NGT order," he said.

There are 133 mines in the sixth tranche and eight unsold mines of fifth tranche have been added to this round, Gupta said.

As per a MSTC notification, the mines to be auctioned under the sixth tranche are spread over the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.

Out of the 141 blocks, 68 are partially explored mines and the remaining 73 are explored ones.

In the fifth tranche, 109 mines were put on auction, out of which only eight were sold.

Last month, Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said that out of 99 coal mines that were put on the block in the 4th round of the auction, just eight blocks have been auctioned successfully.