Centre allocates coal block for three thermal power projects in Bihar

PATNA: The Centre has allotted a coal block for 3 proposed thermal power projects in Bihar. The move will help cement the growing bonhomie between Congress and JD(U).

The demand for a coal block to run the power plants has been a long-standing demand of Bihar but it seems to have secured a speedy approval after the JD(U)-BJP split.

The Deocha-Pachami coal block in Birbhum in West Bengal was allocated for Bihar and the state expects to manage 486 million tonnes of coal needed for running the Pirpainti, Kajra and Chausa thermal projects.

"It has taken some effort on our part to convince the Centre to concede to our demand of coal requirement for the three thermal projects," energy minister Vijendra Prasad Yadav said in Patna on Friday.

Of late, the Congress led UPA government at the Centre has been considerate to the demands of the Bihar government, which is seen as an attempt to engage Kumar who has parted ways with its political rival BJP.

Unlike the past, when he would attack the Centre for ignoring demands of the state government, Kumar too has now shed his inimical stance towards the Centre.

At one point of time, the Centre had even rejected Bihar's special category status demand but later it went on to revise its stand and even set up an expert committee to consider the demand.

While Kumar has openly declared that JD(U) will support any party in government formation at the Centre if it backed the special category demand, Congress by deciding to set up the committee may actually have something concrete to offer in terms of special category status to Bihar.

"Yes the Centre is trying to accommodate Bihar. The Planning Commission approved a plan size of 34,000 crore besides continuing the special assistance under the 12th five year plan. It had also got coal linkage on tapering basis for the capacity upgradation of the Barauni thermal project, and now the coal block for three projects.

If Bihar got the special category status, I can vouch the alliance between Congress and JD(U) will surely happen," a minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet told ET .