SHILLONG: The state government has modified the coal auction and transportation guidelines based on the direction of the NGT Principal Bench.
After the NGT had directed the state government to lift the coal lying in various places to depots for auction, the matter was discussed with the NGT appointed committee and it was cleared.
Earlier, the NGT panel had recommended lifting of coal by the coal mine owners and not the government.
An official said that the government made some modifications to the approved plan on Monday.
“The state government will now take the responsibility to transport extracted coal from mines or storage place to designated depots”, the official added.
The decision will be communicated to the NGT for its approval following which the auction is expected to begin within two weeks.
The government had assessed 32 lakh metric tonnes of already extracted coal for auction and transportation. The revenue from the auction will be Rs 640 crore.