MSTC to conduct auction of 132 coal blocks this month; urges bidders to read all notifications

According to MSTC CMD Surinder Kumar Gupta, the sixth tranche will include auctions of up to 132 coal mines in states such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal.

MSTC, under the Ministry of Steel, conducts e-auction of various materials and minerals and mines.

According to him, this will be the sixth tranche of the auction, which will put 141 blocks up for bid, comprising 132 coal and nine lignite mines.

The CMD made it clear that MSTC only holds auctions in accordance with the list of coal mines and pertinent notifications sent by the Coal Ministry, and he advised bidders to examine all notifications pertaining to upcoming auctions.

"MSTC is in no way involved in any policy making process... As provided by the Coal Ministry...a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order dated 27.2.2020... has been uploaded in the auction portal. All the bidders are suggested to check all the notifications uploaded in our portal including the NGT order," he said.

According to Gupta, there are 133 mines in the sixth tranche and eight fifth-tranche mines that were not sold have been included in this round.

The mines that will be auctioned off as part of the sixth tranche are located in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, according to an MSTC notification.

Out of the 141 blocks, 68 are partially explored mines and the remaining 73 are explored ones.

In the fifth tranche, 109 mines were put on auction, out of which only eight were sold.

Only eight of the 99 coal mines that were put up for auction in the fourth round, according to Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, have been successfully sold.