The minister of state for coal in 2004-06 tried to stall the process for quickly introducing a competitive bidding regime for distributing coal blocks on at least two occasions, according to a chronology of events recorded in the government auditor's draft report on allocation of 155 coal acreages. The Comptroller and Auditor General's draft report - first reported by TOI on March 22 - says the idea of allocating coal blocks through the competitive route was first mooted on June 28, 2004.