NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday said the second tranche of commercial coal mines' auction has received tremendous response which is reflected in around 50 mine specific tender documents being purchased by bidders till date.
Moreover, many other prospective bidders are in the process of registration and purchase of tender documents from the auction portal, the coal ministry said in a statement.
"The response to this auction tranche, till now, has been tremendous," it said.
The bid submission date has been extended to enable interested parties travel to mine locations for inspection once the lockdown curbs are removed in states, it added.
In March, India launched the second tranche of auction for commercial coal mining, offering 67 mines for sale.
Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the auction process in a programme held in New Delhi.
This is the highest number of mines on offer in a particular tranche after commencement of the auction regime in 2014.
"This is the second tranche of auction of coal mines for sale of coal which paves way for liberalisation of Indian coal sector enhancing efficiency, competition and private sector participation leading to development of a vibrant coal market, boosting economic growth and employment generation," the statement said.
Out of the total 67 mines offered by the ministry, 23 are under Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act and 44 under Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
The blocks on offer are a mix of mines with small and large reserves, coking and non-coking mines and fully and partially explored blocks spread across six states - Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.