GEB chairman Nalin Bhatt, told PTI here on Thursday that on account of poor quality of coal supplied by CIL, GEB had to incur heavy losses in terms of generation of power and damage to the machinery at its thermal power stations located at Wanakbori, Ukai, Gandhinagar and Sika.

GEB has been purchasing 1.3 crore tonnes of coal per annum at a total cost of about Rs 1100 crore from CIL, the only agency from which GEB buys it.

``The calorific value of coal supplied by cil is less than specified'', Bhatt said. Stones and even fodder crept in the consignment despatched from the coal mines, causing heavy losses. Besides, pilferage of coal also had been taking place from the wagons before it reached the sites of power stations.

Bhatt said he discussed theseproblems with the CIL chairman P C Sengupta during his visit to the city on Wednesday.GEB had earlier taken up the issue with the prime minister, energy minister, coal minister and CIL authorities, GEB chairman said. One of the reasons behind the poor quality of coal was that CIL had suspended the facility of coal sampling at the coal mine sites and at the thermal power station sites in Gujarat, Bhatt said. It was a joint exercise carried out by GEB and CIL at both the places. Bhatt has demanded reviving of this facility again by an independent agency to avoid any dispute related to coal.

To thrash out this problem, a high level delegation of GEB will go to Calcutta in the second week of October and enter into an agreement with CIL for the joint sampling of coal exercise at the coal mine sites and thermal power station sites in the state.