Lok Sabha Question No. 3182 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-17
Subject: Supply of Inferior Quality of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, NARANBHAI KACHHADIA, SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, SUDHEER GUPTA, BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3182

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2015

Supply of Inferior Quality of Coal

## 3182. SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the Government  has  received  any  complaints  from  the  coal  consuming companies regarding the supply of inferior quality of coal by Coal  India Limited (CIL) during the last three years and the current year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof including reasons therefor, company/year-wise;
- (c) whether the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research is proposed to be engaged for investigation of coal supplied by CIL;
- (d) if so, the details and status thereof; and
- (e) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to supply the superior quality of coal by CIL to coal consuming companies?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (I/C) IN THE MINISTRY OF COAL, POWER AND NEW AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL )

(a)&(b): As per  the information  received from Central Electricity Authority (CEA)some Power Utilities  i.e.,  Haryana  Power  Generation  Corporation  Limited  (HPGCL),  National  Thermal

Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), Madhya Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited (MPPGCL), Maharashtra State Power  Generation Corporation Limited  (MSPGCL),  Gujarat State  Electricity  Corporation  Limited  (GSECL)  have  informed  from    time  to  time  on  grade slippage as well as inferior quality of coal comprising big size coal, stones/boulders etc. from coal companies of  Coal India Limited (CIL).

As per information received from CIL, the subsidiary coal companies of CIL are supplying the requisite  quality  and  quantity  of  coal  to  all  power  stations    under  Fuel  Supply  Agreement (FSA).   In  terms  of  FSA,  Joint  Sampling/  Third  Party  Sampling  and  analysis  facilities  at loading ends are provided to the power utilities for assessment of quality of coal jointly by the buyer  and  the  seller  and  payment  is  made  by  the  buyers  as  per  the  quality  of  coal  so assessed and thereby loading of proper quality coal to the power plants is ensured and taken care of.  All other FSA holders, having annual contractual quantity of 4 lakh tonne and above per annum are also provided with the same facility of Joint Sampling/ Third Party Sampling at loading end.

The details of complaints company/year-wise received during the last three years and current year is given below -

| Company   | No of complaints - year wise   | No of complaints - year wise   | No of complaints - year wise   | No of complaints - year wise              |
|-----------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
|           | 2012-13                        | 2013-14                        | 2014-15                        | 2015-16 (provisional till September,2015) |
| BCCL      | 18                             | 20                             | 162                            | 54                                        |
| ECL       | 38                             | 121                            | 96                             | 64                                        |
| CCL       | 210                            | 150                            | 127                            | 79                                        |
| MCL       | 17                             | 53                             | 33                             | 22                                        |
| WCL       | 138                            | 102                            | 58                             | 46                                        |
| SECL      | 42                             | 54                             | 47                             | 65                                        |
| NCL       | 73                             | 46                             | 21                             | 12                                        |
| NEC       | 0                              | 0                              | 0                              | 0                                         |
| CIL       | 536                            | 546                            | 544                            | 342                                       |

The complaints  mostly  relate  to  supply  of  oversized  coal  and  coal  mixed  with  some stone/ boulders and also supply of sticky and wet coal during monsoons. The primary reason as  to  why  such  complaints  are  received  is  attributable  to  unique  origin  of  coal/  geo-mining conditions/ heterogeneity of Indian coal seams.

(c)&(d): As  per  revised  instructions  of Government  on  3 rd Party  sampling  issued  on 26.11.2015, an independent  Third Party Agency empanelled  by Central  Institute for Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR) at the loading end on behalf of both the power plant (consumer) and the coal companies (supplier). In this new sampling regime, third party agencies shall be enlisted by CIMFR through a transparent process.

(e): In order to produce better quality coal CIL has adopted the following measures:-

- i) Selective  mining  by  Surface  Miner  in  opencast  mine  and  Continuous  Miner  in underground mine for elimination of  bands wherever necessary /feasible.
2. ii) Appropriate positioning of OB and coal benches to avoid contamination.
3. iii) Scrapping/cleaning of coal benches before blasting.
4. iv) Installation  of  metal  detectors  /  magnetic  separators  over  running  conveyors  before coal loading.
- v) Crushing arrangement are also provided for supply of sized coal for better consumer satisfaction
6. vi) All  the  major  projects  having  high  capacity  coal  handling  plants  dispatch  sized  and uniform quality of coal to suit the requirement of  consumers.
7. vii) Participation of consumer representative in Joint Sampling/ Third Party Sampling and analysis  of  coal  with  consumers,  based  on  which  consumers  are  provided  with  the facility of adjustment of payment against coal value.
8. viii) Arrangement for awareness programmes / imparting training to the personnel involved in  production  of  coal  regarding  importance  of  coal  quality  and  need  to  improve  and maintain the same during mining operations.

******