In a bid to expedite operationalisation of mines, the Coal Ministry has sought interest from consulting firms for setting up a project monitoring unit that will aid successful bidders with issues such as resolving environment and forest clearances.

The move will also help in faster operationalisation of coal blocks allocated under the commercial coal mine auctions including the ongoing 10th round of auctions. It will also help fast track the upcoming 11th round, which the Ministry aims to conclude by March 2025.

Request for Proposal

In the Request for Proposal (RfP) document, the Ministry said a total of 92 mines and 364 clearances are pending (tentatively).

These blocks are non-operational and clearances such as environment clearance (EC), forest clearance (FC-I/FC-II), mining lease, land acquisition, etc are pending. These coal mines have been allocated under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act and Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.

The successful bidder will liaison with various departments of the central and State governments for streamlining the approvals for operationalisation of coal mines. The consulting firm will also study the prevailing practice being exercised in grant of various statutory approvals and suggesting the modifications needed for consideration by the states.

“Handholding of allocates in getting clearances from different agencies,” the RfP said.

Project monitoring unit

The project monitoring unit (PMU) will also report on the production and dispatch of coal from coal mines allocated by the Nominated Authority. It will also identify key issues being faced by the Ministry in granting approvals as per the existing practice or law, rules and regulations it added.

“A bi-weekly report on the status of pending requests pertaining to the clearances will be required to be submitted to the Authority. A fortnightly presentation on the progress and status of the project shall be made before the Authority,” the RfP said.

The duration for the consultancy shall initially be for two years, which can be extended by up to 6 months. The duration of the consultancy can be extended at the mutual consent of both the parties.

On remuneration, the RfP said that 30 per cent of the total financial bids submitted will be divided equally in 24 months and will be released on a monthly basis on satisfactory deliverables. The remaining 70 per cent will be released on the basis of the achievement of actual clearances obtained.

The Nominated Authority has adopted a two-stage selection process consisting of technical proposal and a financial proposal.

The last date for submitting proposals is December 10, 2024 and the technical bids will be opened the next day.

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