NTPC gets back five coal blocks

NEW DELHI: State-owned power generation company NTPC today said it has been reallotted five coal blocks that were cancelled last year by the Supreme Court.

"...Ministry of Coal has announced reallotment of five coal mines to NTPC," the company said in a filing to BSE.

The five blocks include - Chatti-Bariatu, Chatti-Bariatu (South) and Kerandari in Jharkhand, Dulanga in Odisha and Talaipalli in Chhattisgarh.

The five mines were among the 204 coal blocks that were cancelled by the Supreme Court in September last year.

The government yesterday allotted 38 mines to central and state public sector units including power major NTPC, DVC and steel giant SAIL.

The development followed the auction of 33 coal blocks in two tranches to private companies with the government garnering over Rs 2 lakh crore, surpassing CAG's earlier estimates of losses of Rs 1.86 lakh crore on allotment without auction.

As per the original plan, the government had to allot 43 mines, but it came out with the list of only 38 mines as there were no applications for some coal blocks, officials said.

All the blocks allotted were for the power sector, barring one Sitanala mine given to SAIL.