Saturday, September 24 2005 15:44 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Coal India Ltd Chairman Sashi Kumar today (Sept 24, 2005) called for formulation of policy initiatives, including grant of more operational independence in public sector units, by the Government.

''Day to day functioning should not be the job of anybody else, but the company,'' the CIL chairman said.

Kumar's comment came close on the heels of ONGC Chairman Subir Raha pleading for minimum Government intervention in day-to-day operations.

Policy initiatives by the Government was necessary to allow operational independence, prevent delay in approval of projects and quick environmental clearance, he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on 'bridging the demand supply gap for Indian coal industry' here.

At the same time, acquisition of land should be fast and law and order should be conducive for increasing production at a rapid pace.

''Unless policy initiatives are taken, it will not be possible to have a rapid increase in production.''

Earlier, speaking at the seminar Kumar said that some countries were adding 250 m.t of coal production in a year when ''We have added 20 m.t last year. But it is not possible to increase production at a rapid pace unless the Government took such policy initiatives.''

The CIL chairman, however, said that approval for new projects were now very fast and as many as six had received the Government nod in one year. 16 more projects were now pending approval.