L. A. DEBATES (CENTRAL) QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 721
Department in accordance with a rationing scheme approved by the War Resources Committee of Council. All coal despatches are made against licenses or priority certificates issued from the Controller of Coal Distribution’s office. These are based on the quotas fixed for each industry within the general rationing instructions and in line with the recommendations made by the Departments concerned with the various industries. Detailed dayto-day instructions are issued to each colliery as to the consignee against whom they should load. The actual loading on the part of the collieries receives a check at the weighment depot stations. The returns compiled by the depot stations are further scrutinised by the allotment offices. Inspectors working under the Railways and the Controller’s organisation make frequent checks of actual booking at stations of arrival and at destination stations to ensure that collieries have booked the wagons to the consignee for whom the wagon has been allotted in accordance with the priority certificate, and that at the destination stations the wagon is delivered to the proper consignee and not allowed to go into the open market. Several cases of coal having been sold in the black market have been detected and prosecutions have been launched.
(e) Every possible step is being taken to develop the capacity of the Railway collieries to their full extent as quickly as circumstances permit. Whilst considerable progress has been made I am not yet in a position to state that all Railway Collieries are being worked to their full capacity. Present difficulties are due to :
(i) shortage of labour,
(ii) unavoidable delay in the introduction of mechanical plant,
(iii) want of line capacity to move the increased output.
All these difficulties are expected to be overcome shortly.
Sir Muhammad Yamin Khan : In reply to part (b), the Honourable Member said about the collieries which are not working to full capacity. How many of them are represented by European companies ?
The Honourable Dr. B. R. Ambedkar : I am unable to give any answer to that at this stage. I do not think we can have any information as to which are not working to full capacity and which of them are European-owned and which Indian-owned.
Sir Muhammad Yamin Khan : Will the Honourable Member be pleased to make an inquiry and inform this House during this session before the Railway Budget comes in ?