SAIL report swipes CIL for price hikes

摘要

The government-run Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), in a slap at Coal India Ltd. (CIL) has singled out the rise in domestic coal prices as one of the main factors that have adversely affected its bottom line. A very recent SAIL study has put the increase at nearly 60 percent over the last six years. Prices of imported coal used by SAIL have also risen continuously during the last few years except in FY 2002, the study notes. But the study's main thrust is against domestic coal prices. It says, "After deregulation with effect from April 1, 1996, CIL, the only supplier of coking coal in the country -thus having monopolistic status-has announced a number of price hikes."