Lok Sabha Question No. 3137 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-04
Subject: Theft/Pilferage of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: PINAKI MISRA, MD. BADARIDDOZA KHAN, SANKAR PRASAD DATTA, NISHIKANT  DUBEY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3137 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2016

## Theft/Pilferage of Coal

## 3137.   SHRI PINAKI MISRA:

SHRI MD. BADARUDDOZA KHAN:

SHRI SHANKAR PRASAD DATTA:

SHRI NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  incidents  of  theft  and  pilferage  of  coal  have  been  reported  at  loading/unloading points, during transportation and at coal depots of Coal India Limited in the country;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  of  such  incidents  reported during each of the last three years and the current year along with the details of loss of coal and revenue as a result thereof, mine, company and State-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any inquiries in this regard;
- (d) if so, the outcome thereof along with the number of persons/officers found guilty during the said period and the action taken against them; and
- (e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to check such activities in future?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF COAL,POWER, NEW & RENEWABLE ENERGY AND MINES.

## (SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)

- (a)to(e):Theft/pilferage  of  coal,  if  any,  is  carried  out  stealthily  and  clandestinely  mainly  from  coal stockyard, railway siding/coal loading areas,  loading/unloading points, etc.   As such it is not possible  to  specify  the  exact  quantum  of  coal  stolen  and  losses  incurred  on  account  of theft/pilferage.

As per raids  conducted  by  the  security  personnel  as  well  as  joint  raids  with  the  law  &  order authorities of the State Governmentsconcerned,  the  quantity of coal recovered and its approximate value during the last three years and the current year(upto May, 2016), year-wise, subsidiary-wise and State-wise, is given as under :

| Name of the Company          | State          | 2013-14             | 2013-14                     | 2014-15             | 2014-15                    | 2015-16             | 2015-16                    | 2016-17 (upto May, 2016) (Provisional)   | 2016-17 (upto May, 2016) (Provisional)   |
|------------------------------|----------------|---------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------|----------------------------|---------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Name of the Company          | State          | Qty. Recovered (te) | Approx. Value (Rs. in Lakh) | Qty. Recovered (te) | Approx Value (Rs. in Lakh) | Qty. Recovered (te) | Approx Value (Rs. in Lakh) | Qty. Recovered (te)                      | Approx Value (Rs. in Lakh)               |
| Eastern Ltd (ECL)            | West Bengal    | 1801.00             | 36.02                       | 2229.60             | 44.64                      | 4993.27             | 249.67                     | 1491.34                                  | 74.57                                    |
| Coalfields                   | Jharkhand      | 2068.00             | 41.36                       | 2188.72             | 43.79                      | 2645.78             | 132.32                     | 750.62                                   | 37.53                                    |
| Bharat                       | Jharkhand      | 12212.86            | 497.60                      | 13812.17            | 585.04                     | 12071.40            | 529.67                     | 2176.74                                  | 95.69                                    |
| Coking Coal Ltd(BCCL)        | West Bengal    | 39.51               | 1.66                        | 179.46              | 7.54                       | 445.84              | 20.54                      | 121.79                                   | 5.12                                     |
| Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) | Jharkhand      | 352.40              | 8.22                        | 940.00              | 24.37                      | 99.00               | 1.05                       | 0.00                                     | 0.00                                     |
| Western                      | Maharashtra    | 61.81               | 0.94                        | 133.36              | 2.79                       | 53.00               | 1.12                       | 45.80                                    | 1.20                                     |
| Coalfields Ltd(WCL)          | Madhya Pradesh | 0.00                | 0.00                        | 0.00                | 0.00                       | 0.00                | 0.00                       | 0.00                                     | 0.00                                     |
| South Eastern                | Madhya Pradesh | 21.01               | 1.02                        | 49.53               | 1.95                       | 0.00                | 0.00                       | 0.00                                     | 0.00                                     |
| Coalfields Ltd(SECL)         | Chhattisgarh   | 39.00               | 1.06                        | 3.00                | 0.12                       | 57.50               | 2.11                       | 0.00                                     | 0.00                                     |

| Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd(MCL)   | Odisha             |   33.23 |   0.33 |    74.30 |   0.72 |   63.10 |   0.63 |   22.60 |   0.03 |
|--------------------------------|--------------------|---------|--------|----------|--------|---------|--------|---------|--------|
| North Eastern Coalfield (NEC)  | Assam              |   212   |  11.62 |    13.03 |   0.62 |     0   |   0    |    0    |   0    |
| Coal India Limited             | Coal India Limited | 16840.8 | 599.83 | 19623.2  | 711.58 | 20428.9 | 937.11 | 4608.89 | 214.14 |

As per the information received from Coal India Ltd.(CIL), whenever any incident of theft/pilferage of coal comes to the notice of the coal companies, First Information Reports (FIRs) are lodged and action taken against the guilty. FIRs lodged in cases of theft/pilferage of coal during the last three years  and  current  year(upto  May,  2016)(provisional),  subsidiary-wise  and  State-wise  are  given below:

| Name of the Company                | State          |   2013-14 |   2014-15 |   2015-16 |   2016-17 (upto May, 2016)(Provisional) |
|------------------------------------|----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------------------------------|
| Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL)       | West Bengal    |         5 |        27 |       116 |                                      51 |
| Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL)       | Jharkhand      |         3 |         2 |        18 |                                       0 |
| Bharat Coking Coal Ltd(BCCL)       | Jharkhand      |        12 |         9 |         9 |                                       1 |
| Bharat Coking Coal Ltd(BCCL)       | West Bengal    |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                       0 |
| Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL)       | Jharkhand      |         5 |        11 |         3 |                                       0 |
| Western Coalfields Ltd(WCL)        | Maharashtra    |         9 |        13 |         6 |                                       6 |
| Western Coalfields Ltd(WCL)        | Madhya Pradesh |         0 |         0 |         0 |                                       0 |
| South Eastern Coalfields Ltd(SECL) | Madhya Pradesh |         2 |         2 |         0 |                                       0 |
|                                    | Chhattisgarh   |         2 |         1 |         6 |                                       0 |
| Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd(MCL)       | Odisha         |         2 |         4 |         0 |                                       0 |
| North Eastern Coalfield (NEC)      | Assam          |        48 |        66 |        35 |                                       9 |
| Coal India                         | Coal India     |        88 |       135 |       193 |                                      67 |

Law  &  Order  is  a  State  subject  and  hence,  primarily,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  State/District administration to take deterrent action to stop/curb theft/pilferage of coal. The coal companies are working in close coordination with the State/local administration to prevent theft of coal.  Measures taken by the coal companies to check theft/pilferage of coal include:

- i) Check  posts  have  been  established  at  entry/exit  points  where  all  coal  loaded  vehicles  are physically checked.
2. ii) Technology initiatives like Global Positioning System(GPS)/General Packet Radio Service(GPRS)/Closed  Circuit  Televisions  (CCTVs)and  electronic  weigh-bridges  have  been installed to check the problem of theft/pilferage at mines, sidings and transportation.
3. iii) Security  at  coal  dumps  has  been  improved  by  wall  fencing,  proper  illumination  and  round  the clock guarding.
4. iv) Concrete walls have been erected on  the mouth of the abandoned mines to prevent access and illegal activities in these areas.
- v) Regular  raids/checks  are  being  conducted  by  security  personnel  and  static  security  pickets including armed guards during the night hours are deployed at pithead depots.
6. vi) Surprise raids/checks being conducted jointly by security personnel and law & order authorities of the State Government concerned.
7. vii) Collection  of  intelligence  reports  about  illegal  coal  depots  and  illegal  movement  of  coal  and informing district authorities of the same for taking preventive action.
8. viii) Installation of check posts at vulnerable points to check transport documents.
9. ix) Maintaining close coordination with the State/local authorities.
- x) Regular patrolling is conducted in and around the mine including overburden dumps.
11. xi) Armed guards have been deployed at Railway sidings.
12. xii) Challans  for  coal  transportation  by  trucks  outside  the  district  are  being  issued  after  fixing hologram and putting signatures of authorized officials of CISF to check pilferage.
13. xiii) Regular FIRs are lodged by the management of the collieries and CISF with local police stations against the pilferage/theft of coal. A close watch on the activities of criminals is kept by CISF.
14. xiv) Escorting of coal rakes in coordination with RPFin pilferage prone areas, etc.