Gearing up for coal block auction, the Coal Ministry has asked allottees of 74 mines to furnish information about their fields like environment clearance, production details and land status by November 25.

These 74 mines are part of 204 coal blocs whose allocation to various companies since 1993 was quashed by the Supreme Court on the ground that they were done in an illegal manner by an ad-hoc and casual approach without application of mind.The government is now planning to allocate coal blocs through auction by February next.