CAG says will not join public debate on coal blocks allocation issue

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) today declined to join a public debate on the controversies over its findings on the coal blocks allocation which have come under attack from Prime Minister, the Congress party and critics.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on Tuesday declined to join a public debate on the controversies over its findings on the coal blocks allocation which have come under attack from Prime Minister, the Congress party and critics.

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"Being a Constitutional authority, the CAG (Vinod Rai) feels that it would be improper on his part to join a public debate on this issue.

"It is hereby stated that the organisation of C&AG would clarify on the report at the appropriate forum when required," an official statement from the CAG office said.

The statement said the CAG office has been getting repeated calls from the media for reactions to the news stories on the allocation of coal blocks and augmentation of coal production presented in Parliament on August 17 and subsequent clarifications in this regard.

On Monday in Parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh questioned the CAG findings on coal blocks allocation describing them as "disputable and flawed".

"The policy of allocation of coal blocks to private parties, which the CAG has criticised, was not not a new policy introduced by the UPA. The policy has existed since 1993 and previous government also allocated coal blocks in precisely the manner that the CAG has now criticised," he had said.

In a 32-point rebuttal of the CAG findings on the coal blocks allocations Singh said "the observations of the CAG are clearly disputable."