Coal min may give final list of untraced files by tomorrow

The coal ministry is likely to send the final list of files pertaining to coal blocks allocation which could not be located by Friday. "We may send the final reply to the Central Bureau of Investigation with regards to files which could not be traced, by Friday," a source close to the development said.

"The CBI can take action after that," the source added.

The deadline set by the Supreme Court for handing of the files to the investigative agency expires next week. The steel ministry had on September 10 communicated to the coal ministry that it is trying to locate 10 more files with regard to coal blocks allocations.

"Out of the list of 157 missing files, 74 pertains to the Steel Ministry. The CBI has directly taken 18 files from the steel ministry out of the list of 74. "The steel ministry has conveyed it to the coal ministry that it has located 46 files and is trying to locate 10 more files," a source privy to the development had earlier said.

However, the coal ministry has asked from the steel ministry in writing about the 46 files which have been located by them, the source had added.

The source had further said that 20 missing cases pertains to the department of Industrial policy & promotion which has communicated to the coal ministry that it would not be able to locate the documents.

The coal ministry under the Chairmanship of Coal Secretary S K Srivastava had a couple of days back reviewed the efforts being made to locate the documents mentioned in the list sent by the CBI.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the ministries of coal, steel and power, among others. The issue of missing files snowballed into a controversy in Parliament even as the Supreme Court directed the CBI to furnish a comprehensive list of documents/files/information that are yet to be received from the government.