The upward revision of import duty, from 1 per cent to over 4 per cent on steam coal imports, will adversely impact the industry, as it will lead to increase in cost of power generation.

The commencement of coal mining at Parsa Kente is a milestone event in coal mining sector.

And the proportion will increase to 10 per cent by 2020.

The import bill is too high. We should do our best to reduce imports and increase local output.

From my experience in working with bureaucrats and politicians, if you are a credible business group, they will definitely help you. At the end of the day, they, too, want development of their constituency, state or country.

Any commodity that sees its price going higher will see new mines opening up. When the supply increases, the prices soften. When prices fall, some mines with higher production costs will shut down as they become unviable.