Lok Sabha Question No. 244 (STARRED), answered on 2015-08-06
Subject: Illegal Sale of Coal
Ministry: COAL
Asked by: RAVINDRA BABU  PANDULA

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF COAL

LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO.244

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2015

**Illegal sale of Coal**

***244.	DR. RAVINDRA BABU** :

Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state:

1. whether any assessment made in regard to coal pilferage and theft of coal in the Coal India and its subsidiaries, if so, the details thereof;

1. whether the Government has also taken note of illegal sale of coal from the coal mines/blocks, including captive coal blocks resulting in huge loss to the exchequer;

1. if so, the details thereof including the number of such complaints reported during each of the last three years and the current year, company-wise;

1. the action taken by the Government against these found indulging in illegal sale of coal; and

1. the mechanism put in place by the Government to check illegal sale of coal from coal blocks?

**ANSWER**

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

**(SHRI PIYUSH GOYAL)**

(a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.244 FOR ANSWER ON 06.08.2015 REGARDING ILLEGAL SALE OF COAL ASKED BY DR. RAVINDRA BABU.

(a)  			As per available information 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 loss of revenue on account of theft/pilferage of coal.  However, as per raids conducted by the security personnel as well as joint raids with the law and order authorities of the concerned State Governments, the quantity of coal recovered and its approximate value in respect of Coal India Limited (CIL) during the last three years and current year (till May, 2015), year-wise, subsidiary-wise and State-wise, is given as under :-

**(i)Theft of Coal**

| **Name of the Coal Company**         | **State**        | **2012-13**             |                              | **2013-14**             |                              | **2014-15**             |                              | **2015-16 (upto May’15)(provisional)**   |                              |
|--------------------------------------|------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
|                                      |                  | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)**                  | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** |
| **ECL**                              | **WB**           | **1944.00**             | **38.86**                    | **1801.00**             | **36.02**                    | **2229.60**             | **44.64**                    | **597.01**                               | **29.85**                    |
|                                      | **Jharkhand**    | **2104.00**             | **42.08**                    | **2068.00**             | **41.36**                    | **2188.72**             | **43.79**                    | **267.29**                               | **13.36**                    |
| **BCCL**                             | **Jharkhand**    | **8352.58**             | **181.20**                   | **12212.86**            | **497.60**                   | **13812.17**            | **585.04**                   | **1803.68**                              | **77.90**                    |
|                                      | **WB**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **39.51**               | **1.66**                     | **179.46**              | **7.54**                     | **44.55**                                | **1.87**                     |
| **CCL**                              | **Jharkhand**    | **2333.69**             | **28.61**                    | **352.40**              | **8.22**                     | **940.00**              | **24.37**                    | **72.00**                                | **0.72**                     |
| **NCL**                              | **MP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **UP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **WCL**                              | **Maharashtra**  | **146.71**              | **3.34**                     | **61.81**               | **0.94**                     | **133.36**              | **2.79**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **MP**           | **22.84**               | **0.32**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **SECL**                             | **MP**           | **4.40**                | **0.26**                     | **21.01**               | **1.02**                     | **49.53**               | **1.95**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **Chhattisgarh** | **114.92**              | **2.91**                     | **39.00**               | **1.06**                     | **3.00**                | **0.12**                     | **4.50**                                 | **0.05**                     |
| **MCL**                              | **Odisha**       | **30.80**               | **0.31**                     | **33.23**               | **0.33**                     | **74.30**               | **0.72**                     | **0.10**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **NEC**                              | **Assam**        | **313.93**              | **17.77**                    | **212.00**              | **11.62**                    | **13.03**               | **0.62**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **Coal India Limited (Grand Total)** |                  | **15367.87**            | **315.66**                   | **16840.82**            | **599.83**                   | **19623.17**            | **711.58**                   | **2789.13**                              | **123.75**                   |

**(ii)** **Illegal Mining of Coal**

| **Name of the Coal Company**         | **State**        | **2012-13**             |                              | **2013-14**             |                              | **2014-15**             |                              | **2015-16 (upto May’15)(provisional)**   |                              |
|--------------------------------------|------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
|                                      |                  | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)** | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** | **Qty. Recovered (Te)**                  | **Approx. Value (Rs. lakh)** |
| **ECL**                              | **WB**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **4.00**                | **0.08**                     | **34.75**               | **0.70**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **Jharkhand**    | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **BCCL**                             | **Jharkhand**    | **883.98**              | **18.07**                    | **1096.46**             | **45.77**                    | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **WB**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **188.33**              | **7.88**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **CCL**                              | **Jharkhand**    | **39.00**               | **0.42**                     | **4.33**                | **0.19**                     | **139.00**              | **1.55**                     | **2.00**                                 | **0.02**                     |
| **NCL**                              | **MP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **UP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **WCL**                              | **Maharashtra**  | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **MP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **12.00**               | **0.50**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **SECL**                             | **MP**           | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
|                                      | **Chhattisgarh** | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **MCL**                              | **Odisha**       | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **NEC**                              | **Assam**        | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **37.45**               | **1.16**                     | **0.00**                | **0.00**                     | **0.00**                                 | **0.00**                     |
| **Coal India Limited (Grand Total)** |                  | **922.98**              | **18.49**                    | **1342.57**             | **55.60**                    | **173.75**              | **2.25**                     | **2.00**                                 | **0.02**                     |

..2/-

-: 2 :-

(b) to (e) 	Some complaints on black marketing/diversion of coal have been reported from North Eastern Coalfields, Eastern Coalfields Limited, Western Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited, etc.  Complaints are investigated and appropriate action including lodging of FIRs, referring cases to Central Bureau of Investigation for further investigation, discontinuation of coal supply to the units/companies involved in such illegal activities, systematic measures for improvement of monitoring/verification of the units receiving coal under Fuel Supply Agreement (FSA) etc., are taken.

As per the New Coal Distribution Policy, CIL is required to verify status of erstwhile linked consumers to check the veracity of their claim of being bonafide consumers of coal and thereafter conclude FSA.  In December, 2012, the Board of CIL has already prescribed modality for submission of certificate of end use by FSA holders duly signed by Chartered Accountants.

A project for introduction of global positioning system based tracking system of trucks carrying coal is under way to arrest diversion of coal. Close Circuit Televisions(CCTVs) are being installed at all vulnerable points like entry/exit gate, weigh bridges, sidings etc to keep a regular watch.  Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) based boom barriers are being installed at many places to identify illegal trucks carrying coal. Weigh bridges are being connected in Coal Net to capture and monitor weight of the coal carrying vehicles.

Number of complaints regarding alleged involvement of security personnel and officers of various coal companies  in connection with blackmarketing, hoarding, and irregularities in transportation of coal received during the last three years and the current year (upto May, 2015[provisional]), subsidiary-wise and year-wise are given as under:-

| Name of the coal company           |   **2012-13** |   **2013-14** |   **2014-15** |   **2015-16 (upto May,2015) (provisional)** |
|------------------------------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Eastern Coalfields Ltd.(ECL)       |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| Bharat Coking Coal Ltd(BCCL)       |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| Central Coalfields Ltd(CCL)        |             5 |             6 |             5 |                                           0 |
| Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd(MCL)       |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| Northern Coalfields Ltd(NCL)       |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| Western  Coalfields Ltd(WCL)       |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| South Eastern Coalfields Ltd(SECL) |             0 |             1 |             2 |                                           0 |
| North Eastern Coalfield (NEC)      |             0 |             0 |             0 |                                           0 |
| Total                              |             5 |             7 |             7 |                                           0 |

After investigation, regular departmental action was initiated in consultation with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and other nodal Departments and appropriate penalties imposed based on the gravity of the offence.

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