Raipur, March 10 (IANS) As many as 22 coal blocks have been allotted to private companies in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh in the last 10 years.

'Twenty-eight coal blocks have been identified for private firms. Till date 22 have been allotted,' a mining department official told IANS here. Of the 22 blocks, mining has begun in just six.

The state government has signed 71 agreements with power companies in the last 10 years to set up thermal plants. Tw companies - Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) and Lanco Amarkantak Power Pvt Ltd - have commissioned their plants, the official said.

Chhattisgarh has nearly 20 percent of country's total coal deposits.