Date:12/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/12/stories/2008081258950400.htm

New Delhi

Union Minister assures TNEB of coal supply

J Balaji

NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Coal Santosh Bagrodia has assured the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) he will ensure that the joint venture company to be promoted for mining coal from the Mandakini field in Orissa begins its operation at the earliest so that TNEB gets uninterrupted supply for its thermal power plants.

The Minister conveyed this to TNEB representatives at a meeting here when they pointed out that though the TNEB had given its share of Rs.2 crore for the proposed company, the delay in releasing their share by the Assam and Meghalaya Mineral Development Corporations was holding up the commencement of operations of the Rs.24-crore firm.

Representatives of the Assam and Meghalaya Mineral Development Corporations promised to take up the issue with their State governments.

Tamil Nadu government’s Special Representative here Cumbum P. Selvendran, who participated in the meeting on behalf of Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy, told The Hindu that each of the four States would get a quota of 300 million tonnes of coal from the Mandakini reserve.

It is estimated that the mine has a total reserve of 1,200 million tonnes.

The TNEB also highlighted the delay in setting up of a joint venture along with the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) for coal mining from the Gare Palma mine in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.

TNEB’s share

The TNEB’s share from the mine is 593 million tonnes and that of the MSEB is 175 million tonnes.

Mr. Bagrodia promised to intervene and directed the MSEB to take up the issue with the State government, Mr. Selvendran said.