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Bhubaneswar, March 9: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is on a four-day visit to New Delhi from Sunday, expressed serious concern Monday at the meagre benefits to Orissa from the ongoing coal block auction as compared to other states.
“Out of nine coal blocks of Orissa earmarked for auction so far, only one coal block been earmarked for the non-regulated sector,” the Chief Minister said.
“A large number of industries in Orissa will be put to great disadvantage because of the non-earmarking of adequate number of coal blocks to meet their captive requirements,” Patnaik said during his meeting with Union minister for coal, power and renewable energy, Piyush Goyal, at Orissa Bhawan in the national capital.
The chief minister has, reportedly, emphasized that a large number of coal blocks in Orissa have been earmarked for the power sector, which witnesses a reverse bidding process and puts the state in a comparatively disadvantageous position.
The Union coal minister has assured the Chief Minister that the Centre shall address the concerns of the state and ensure that the industries of Orissa do not suffer because of the inadequate availability of coal for meeting their captive requirement, sources said.
He also assured Patnaik that the Centre would ensure that the state government receives the maximum revenue from the auction of the coal blocks, said the sources.
Goyal has assured that a large coal block will be earmarked for commercial mining for the benefit of the industries of the state. In addition, another significant coal block will be allocated to a state PSU.
The Chief Minister has been assured that the interests of the state are of paramount importance and that efforts will be made to ensure adequate availability of coal for the power sector and other industries, sources said.
