New Delhi: Coal imports declined by 21.7 per cent to 14.31 million tonnes last month on the back of sufficient availability of domestic fuel. Imports in January 2017 stood at 14.31 million tonnes against 18.28 million tonnes in same month last year, according to mjunction services, an online procurement and sales platform floated jointly by SAIL and Tata Steel.

The government had said, in September, 2016, that it was working on a plan to end dependency on coal imports in next three to four months in order to facilitate consumption of the surplus fossil fuel produced by Coal India. Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal production.