Set aside mines alloted to Rajasthan from 'no-go' zone: Ashok Gehlot

Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot today asked the Centre to set aside the coal mines allotted to the state from 'no-go zone' to ensure continuous supply of coal to the power plants there.

During a meeting with coal minister Shriprakash Jaiswal, the chief minister also asked the Centre to provide coal blocks for power projects in the state, officials said here.

"He demanded that coal blocks allotted to Rajasthan in Chhattisgarh be set aside from no-go zone for mining so that it could get uninterrupted supply of coal and work related to power plants be completed in time," they added.

Gehlot said the state would get environmental clearances for three super critical power plants if the Coal Ministry allots coal linkages to the state.

Two super critical power plants of 1320 MW capacity each are being developed in Suratgarh and Chhabra areas in the state and work is in progress for a 1700 MW power project in Kali Sindh.

The chief minister said 70-80% of work has already been done in these power projects and the target is to complete the work by the year 2012.