Coal India executives’ body not in favour of separating CMPDIL

KOLKATA: Coal India executives’ body has expressed displeasure over a proposal to separate Central Mines Planning and Design Institute Ltd (CMPDIL) from its parent company, and suggested the formation of a high-powered committee for wider consultation.

The All India Association of Executives (AIAE), comprising serving and retired executives of CIL, has written to Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi, putting forth its views against the planned move.

Four coal industry trade unions have also called for protests against any possible move to split CMPDIL from Coal India.

“... While we cannot question the prerogative of the government to go ahead with its thinking, we will certainly request for a wider discussion on this subject while arriving at a final decision,” the AIAE letter said.

The move, according to the association, is aimed at clearing the deck for private consultancy companies that have been mushrooming in India after the coal sector was opened up in 1993.

“Even though about 42 billion tonne of coal reserves had been allotted to private players as captive mines, coal production from these mines barely reached 39.75 million tonne against the projected target of 100 million tonne,” AIAE principal general secretary P K Singh Rathor said.

“... We are not sure whether the proposal to split Coal India into smaller entities will serve the purpose or not, but certainly it will create problems for survival of CMPDIL,” he said.

CMPDIL’S scope of work can be further enlarged by converting it to an agency to act as the coal regulatory body for monitoring and controlling various activities of all coal miners, the letter added.