As the controversy over 'Coal-gate' heats up, sources have told NDTV that a draft report prepared by an inter-ministerial panel is likely to recommend that several companies lose their coal licenses for non-performance or for failing to begin mining. Here are the 10 big developments on this story:
1) The inter-ministerial group, set up by the Coal Ministry to review the progress of development of coal blocks, has reportedly found that several of the 58 coal firms under its review have failed to develop mines; many haven't even applied for land and forest clearances.
2) The panel is hence likely to recommend that several of these companies lose their licenses. In its next meet on September 3, it will further deliberate on the replies sent against the show cause notices. Based on the discussions on Monday, the panel will submit its final report on September 15. However, its recommendations are not binding on the Coal Ministry.
3) A draft report prepared by the panel is also likely to recommend that the cancelled licenses be handed over to state-owned Coal India Limited.
4) The panel will submit the final report on September 15. However, its recommendations are not binding on the Coal Ministry.
5) The Government had slapped show cause notices to 58 coal companies in April this year. These notices are however unconnected to the coal block allocation controversy triggered by the national auditors' report that was tabled in Parliament last month
6) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India's report on alleged irregularities in the allotment of 142 coal blocks has created a political storm as it says that thousands of crores were lost because coal blocks were sold at a fraction of their true market value.
7) The BJP says this was done on the PM's watch and he is therefore obliged to exit office. The party has also demanded that the coal block allocations be cancelled, but the government has so far refused.
8) 17 of the firms under the review of the inter-ministerial panel have also been named in the CAG report. The BJP is hence likely to seize this opportunity and say it's a vindication of its stand. The recommendations are also likely to lead to more questions being raised about the policy adopted by the government while allocating coal blocks.
9) The opposition BJP is adamant that the Prime Minister must resign for allowing an alleged swindle; till that happens, it says it will disrupt Parliament, which it has done for eight days now. Sources say Congress president Sonia Gandhi met BJP's Sushma Swaraj today in a bid to break the impasse.
10) The de-allocation issue has meanwhile led to deep fissures within the Coal Ministry with its top two officials at odds with each other, sources have said. The situation was reportedly triggered off when the ministerial group, headed by Additional Secretary Zohra Chatterji, recommended the de-allocation of two coal blocks in Jharkhand. Coal Secretary SK Srivastava is however of the view that the ministerial panel should not have expressed its opinion on the cancellation of coal block licenses since the guidelines for de-allocation have yet to be finalized, sources add.
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