Lok Sabha Question No. 2519 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-26
Subject: Pilferage and Theft of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: DEVUSINH JESINGBHAI CHAUHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2519 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.12.2018

## Pilferage and Theft of Coal

## 2519.  SHRI DEVUSINH CHAUHAN :-

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any assessment has been made in regard to pilferage and theft of coal in the Coal India Ltd. and its subsidiaries and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has also taken note of illegal sale of coal from the coal mines / block including captive coal blocks resulting in huge loss to the exchequer;
- (c) if so, the details thereof including the number of such complaints reported during each of the last three years, company-wise;
- (d) the  action  taken  by  the  Government  against  those  found  indulging  in  illegal  sale  of coal; and
- (e) the mechanism put in place by the Government to check illegal sale of coal from the coal blocks?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF COAL AND RAILWAYS (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

(a) :      Law  & Order is a State subject, hence primarily it is the responsibility of the  State/ District administration to take necessary deterrent action to stop/curb theft / pilferage of coal. Theft/pilferage of coal, if any, is carried out stealthily and clandestinely.  As such it is not possible  to  specify  the  exact  quantum  of  coal  stolen  and  losses  incurred  on  account  of theft/pilferage.  Illegal  mining  of  coal  is  reported  to  be  carried  out  mainly  from  abandoned mines, shallow coal seams situated at remote/isolated places from the mines and are scattered over  a  large  area.    As  per  information  received  from  Coal  India  Ltd.,  during  the  raids conducted by security personnel as well as joint raids with the law and order authorities of the State  Government  concerned,  the  quantity  of  coal  recovered  and  its  approximate  value [Subsidiary-wise and State-wise] during the last three years are as under :-

| Name of the company     | State          | 2015-16                     | 2015-16                        | 2016-17                     | 2016-17                        | 2017-18                     | 2017-18                        | 2018-19 (upto July'18) (Provisional)   | 2018-19 (upto July'18) (Provisional)   |
|-------------------------|----------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------|----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
|                         |                | Quantity Recovered (tonnes) | Approx. Value (Rupees in Lakh) | Quantity Recovered (tonnes) | Approx. Value (Rupees in Lakh) | Quantity Recovered (tonnes) | Approx. Value (Rupees in Lakh) | Quantity Recovered (tonnes)            | Approx. Value (Rupees in Lakh)         |
| Eastern                 | West Bengal    | 4993.27                     | 249.67                         | 7804.76                     | 390.23                         | 8667.24                     | 433.36                         | 3338.91                                | 166.930                                |
| Coalfields Ltd.         | Jharkhand      | 2645.78                     | 132.32                         | 3500.66                     | 175.03                         | 2346.53                     | 117.33                         | 1086.44                                | 54.310                                 |
| Bharat                  | Jharkhand      | 12071.40                    | 529.67                         | 12718.85                    | 549.60                         | 5093.34                     | 199.11                         | 1464.86                                | 73.278                                 |
| Coking Coal Ltd.        | West Bengal    | 445.84                      | 20.54                          | 810.44                      | 33.60                          | 537.35                      | 20.20                          | 364.13                                 | 14.384                                 |
| Central Coalfields Ltd. | Jharkhand      | 99.00                       | 1.05                           | 147.00                      | 1.47                           | 539.97                      | 15.79                          | 236.21                                 | 5.606                                  |
| Northern                | Madhya Pradesh | 0.00                        | 0.00                           | 0.00                        | 0.00                           | 0.0                         | 0.00                           | 0.0                                    | 0.0                                    |

| Coalfields Ltd.           | Uttar Pradesh      |    0.00 |   0.00 |     3.00 |    0.04 |      0.0 |   0.00 |     0.0 |     0.0 |
|---------------------------|--------------------|---------|--------|----------|---------|----------|--------|---------|---------|
| Western                   | Maharashtra        |    53   |   1.12 |   225.15 |    5.42 |   261.96 |   7.63 |   39    |   1.87  |
| Coalfields Ltd.           | Madhya Pradesh     |     0   |   0    |     3    |    0.18 |     0    |   0    |    0    |   0     |
| South-                    | Madhya Pradesh     |     0   |   0    |     3.5  |    0.14 |    26    |   0.57 |    0    |   0     |
| Eastern Coalfields Ltd.   | Chattisgarh        |    57.5 |   2.11 |    25    |    1.5  |    38    |   0.77 |    6    |   0.24  |
| Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd.  | Orissa             |    63.1 |   0.63 |    57.8  |    0.38 |    92.53 |   0.93 |   72.8  |   0.748 |
| North- Eastern Coalfields | Assam              |     0   |   0    |     0    |    0    |     0    |   0    |    0    |   0     |
| Coal India Limited        | Coal India Limited | 20428.9 | 937.11 | 25296.2  | 1157.56 | 17602.9  | 795.69 | 6608.35 | 317.366 |

The  coal  companies  are  working  in  close  coordination  with  the  State  /  local administration  to  prevent  theft  /  pilferage  of  coal.  The  Government  of  India  has  launched mobile  APP  namely "Khanan  Prahri" and web  APP  "Coal Mine  Surveillance and Management  System"  (CMSMS)  for  monitoring  and  reporting  unauthorised  coal  mining activities and enable the Law & Order Authority to take suitable action in time.

(b) No illegal sale of coal from coal blocks has  been reported.

(c) to (e) :

In view of the above question does not arise.

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