The world?s largest coal miner, Coal India (CIL), is stuck in a limbo with the coal ministry remaining undecided over the modalities of transferring 42 de-allocated operative coal mines. There are many problems in transferring those mines on a temporary basis with the major being temporarily internalising the workforce of the operative mines, who at present are workers of other companies.
Productions from the operational mines are also likely to hit a major roadblock after transfer since no temporary planning was possible and investment in those mines wouldn?t take place.
The mines, according to the Supreme Court order, are supposed to come within CIL?s ambit from April next year for a six- month period, before those are given for auction. But according to a top CIL official, if the company has to truly operate those mines from April, the coal ministry has to work out the modalities now.
?Transferring the 42 operative mines to CIL is an interim arrangement and so the PSU miner cannot make any permanent plan. How do we absorb the workforce of different operating mines under different companies at present as CIL workforce for a temporary period?? a director on the condition of anonymity questioned.
CIL as a temporary lease holder of those mines cannot make any investment and temporary mining plan was not possible. During coal nationalisation CIL took over operations of running mines on an ?as is basis? but it was feasible as it got the mines permanently.