INTEREST OF SMALL AND NON-CORE SECTOR CONSUMERS BEING CONSIDERED
BY COAL INDIA
CIL/Coal companies hold
meeting from time to time with consumers/associations to take
stock of the problems faced by consumers, if any and take necessary
steps to sort out the problem. Further, coal consumer council
set up by DoC both at the national & regional level with representative
from FICCI, ASSOCHEM, Public interest nominee also deliberate
on problems of the consumers like coal requirement, quality etc.
and resolve such issues from time to time. Coal is supplied to
small and non-core sector consumers under various schemes namely:-
- Linked non-core sector consumers
draw coal against linkage granted earlier and sponsorship issued
by the respective sponsoring authority/state authorities.
- Seasonal consumers, like brick
manufacturing units do not require linkage and coal is supplied
to BRK sector against sponsorship issued by respective state
authority.
- Coal is also sold on contractual
basis under Trade Channel Network Scheme. Under this scheme
trade channel operators are selected for various locations through
open tender and coal is released against coal supply agreement
entered into between supplying subsidiary company of CIL and
the operator. Coal sold under Trade Channel Network Scheme can
be traded by the trade channel operators.
- Coal is also sold to any intending
buyer without linkage and sponsorship under "Open Sales Scheme"
(OSS). As per extant norms, coal is offered for sale under OSS
from identified sources after meeting the requirement of core
sector and linked/sponsored consumers and contractual buyers.
In order to extend the benefit of
de-regulation of coal, with the issuance of new Colliery Control
Order, CIL decided to liberalise the policy for sale of coal to
non-core sector. Accordingly CIL Board decided in June, 2001 to
authorise subsidiary companies to formulate their own system and
procedures for sale of coal to non-core sector. As per the decision,
the new policy would aim at being transparent, customer friendly
and simpler. The salient features of the proposed sales policy
are:
- Linkage and sponsorship are to
be done away with.
- Supply in future to be based
on bilateral fuel supply agreement.
- Existing valid linked consumers
to be offered coal under the new system in the first place.
- Certain quantity to be made available
for seasonal consumers like BRK etc.
- Coal supply to non-core sector
to be made in a manner without affecting coal supply to core
sector.
- Additional availability, if any,
after meeting requirement of the earlier linked consumers
in non-core sector will be offered for intending buyers separately.
The above was stated by Shri Ravi Shankar
Prasad, Minister of State for Coal, Mines, Law & Justice in
Lok Sabha.
