Inter-ministerial coordination is often cited as the biggest challenge in India's infrastructure projects. Discuss with reference to the Coal Logistics Plan and Policy, 2030.

Launched on 29 February 2024, the Coal Logistics Plan and Policy seeks a strategic shift from road to a railway-based coal evacuation system by FY 2029-30 [2]. Its delivery depends less on technology than on synchronising four ministries — Coal, Railways, Power and Road Transport & Ports — making it a live test of India's coordination capacity.

Why coordination is central to the Policy

• Split ownership of a single chain: the Ministry of Coal builds First Mile Connectivity (FMC) — mechanised conveyors, silos and rapid loading systems at the mine-head — while the actual line-haul capacity rests with the Ministry of Railways [1].
• Dependent sequencing: a commissioned silo is idle without a matching siding or rake; the Coal Ministry has flagged 33 critical railway projects for Railways to execute [1].
• Demand-side linkage: coal must reach power plants to meet demand projected to rise from 980 MT to 1.5 billion tonnes by 2030, tying evacuation to the Power Ministry's plant-stocking needs [2].

Evidence of coordination gaps

• Of 139 FMC projects (1,319 MTPA), only 72 (589 MTPA) stand commissioned — under half the planned capacity [1].
• Of 8 railway evacuation projects, 5 are commissioned, the rest slipping to FY 2028 [1].
• Persistent bottlenecks include congested high-density rail routes, rake shortages, clearance and land-acquisition delays, and slow uptake of Rail-Sea-Rail and inland waterway alternatives [1].

Where coordination has worked

• Convergence has still delivered results: targeted savings of ₹21,000 crore annually through a 14% cut in rail logistics cost, a 10% gain in wagon turnaround, and a reduction of about 1,00,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year [2].

The Policy shows that India's infrastructure deficit is increasingly institutional rather than financial. Embedding FMC and rail projects within a PM Gati Shakti-style single dashboard, with joint milestone review and shared accountability across ministries, can convert parallel effort into sequenced delivery — advancing both energy security and the environmental commitments the Policy itself sets out.