The expert committee on road map for coal sector reforms (Part-I)
Report would mainly address the issues of increasing the availability of coal in the short to medium term and bridge the gap between demand and supply. It was felt that the role of captive coal producers would be quite important and captive mining could take root and contribute significantly in the short to medium term. The committee has also found that the procedures of getting the various approvals and permissions for the grant of a block or the commencement of mining operations in a block allotted to public or private sector are time-consuming and lead to avoidable delays in coal production. The committee has included a brief analysis of the environment related issues and has made some recommendations which would help to expedite the grant of environmental clearances without any deviation from the spirit of the law and policies for environmental protection.