CAG report on Coalgate to be tabled in Parliament on Friday

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The Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) report on coal block allocation will be tabled in Parliament on Friday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led opposition, which has demanded a thorough probe into the allocation of coal blocks made between 2005-2008, is likely to criticise the UPA Government for not tabling the CAG report in the last session.

According to reports, the CAG is believed to have concluded that private sector companies such as Tata Group entities, Jindal Steel and Power, Anil Agarwal Group firms, Essar Group's power ventures, Adani Group, Arcelor Mittal and Lanco were the major beneficiaries.

The CAG report was slated to be tabled yesterday but since both Houses of Parliament were adjourned as mark of respect for late Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, it will be tabled today.

The leaked draft CAG report had rocked proceedings in the Parliament during the Budget Session.

CAG estimates Rs. 1.86 lakh crores loss to exchequer on allocation of coal blocks. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, held the coal portfolio between 2006-2-009.

Union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid yesterday refused to comment on the CAG report on coal block allocation.

He said the Parliament Public Accounts Committee will decide on the CAG report on ' Coal- gate' after it comes to Parliament.

"I am not going to be able to discuss a matter that is going to come to Parliament. Report should in normal course come to Parliament first, then Parliament Public Accounts Committee decides what to do with it. Somehow, the media has got hold of some observations, some findings of the report. It is really very difficult for me to comment on, let the Parliament take a view," said Khurshid.

"Even if there are issues, which call for specific reply or response, the government will do it adequately, it will be done by the minister concerned," he added.

The CBI had earlier started a preliminary probe into alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks in 2006-09.

The CBI, which formed 14 small teams within its economic offences wing (EOW) to scrutinise documents pertaining to allocation of coal blocks, sought details from private firms that were given these mines.