The aim was to bring in ‘independent’, third party sampling agencies, that would render services to both coal companies and power utilities, so as to avoid disputes over the quality of the fuel.
But the ‘standard operating procedure for coal sampling and analysis’, notified by Coal India Ltd (CIL) in September, triggered a fresh row, reviving the memories of a year-long standoff in 2013-14 between state-owned generation utilities led by NTPC and the miner, over quality issues and payment of coal dues.
Worse, it had brought the management practices at CIL into the open, with one arm of the miner blaming the other for making a grievous mistake in interpreting the keyword “independent sampling”.
Controversial clause
The root of the problem lies in the CIL circular, issued by the marketing department, offering consumers a choice of collecting their share of samples “independently”. This is over and above the common practice of both sides drawing samples in each other’s presence (joint sampling) and analysing them separately.
Taking a cue from the notice, NTPC went for collecting samples independently, for supplies from the Asansol, West Bengal-based Eastern Coalfields (ECL).
ECL has questioned the authenticity of the samples drawn without its knowledge. NTPC took up the issue with the Coal Ministry last month. But ECL refused to budge.
“We have reported to both CIL and the Coal Ministry that agreeing to such a proposal may open floodgates of fraudulent claims on grade slippage,” a senior ECL official said.
To confirm its stance, the CIL subsidiary issued a notice recently, denying consumers any such option as offered by the parent. Sources at CIL headquarters in Kolkata blame its marketing office for misinterpreting “independent sampling” and landing the company in trouble.
While BK Saxena, Director, Marketing, refused to comment, CIL chairman Sutirtha Bhattacharya extended his tacit support to ECL.
Independent sampling should mean “independent testing on a sample drawn in a manner which will legally and statistically correlate the population,” Bhattacharya said.
Sources say the coal and power ministries, too, stood by ECL.
But the ‘standard operating procedure for coal sampling and analysis’, notified by Coal India Ltd (CIL) in September, triggered a fresh row, reviving the memories of a year-long standoff in 2013-14 between state-owned generation utilities led by NTPC and the miner, over quality issues and payment of coal dues.
Worse, it had brought the management practices at CIL into the open, with one arm of the miner blaming the other for making a grievous mistake in interpreting the keyword “independent sampling”.
Controversial clause
The root of the problem lies in the CIL circular, issued by the marketing department, offering consumers a choice of collecting their share of samples “independently”. This is over and above the common practice of both sides drawing samples in each other’s presence (joint sampling) and analysing them separately.
Taking a cue from the notice, NTPC went for collecting samples independently, for supplies from the Asansol, West Bengal-based Eastern Coalfields (ECL).
ECL has questioned the authenticity of the samples drawn without its knowledge. NTPC took up the issue with the Coal Ministry last month. But ECL refused to budge.
“We have reported to both CIL and the Coal Ministry that agreeing to such a proposal may open floodgates of fraudulent claims on grade slippage,” a senior ECL official said.
To confirm its stance, the CIL subsidiary issued a notice recently, denying consumers any such option as offered by the parent. Sources at CIL headquarters in Kolkata blame its marketing office for misinterpreting “independent sampling” and landing the company in trouble.
While BK Saxena, Director, Marketing, refused to comment, CIL chairman Sutirtha Bhattacharya extended his tacit support to ECL.
Independent sampling should mean “independent testing on a sample drawn in a manner which will legally and statistically correlate the population,” Bhattacharya said.
Sources say the coal and power ministries, too, stood by ECL.
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