New Delhi, July 7: The Union government will soon finalise the allocation of 23 coal blocks to steel, power and cement companies.

An inter-ministry meeting has already taken a decision to allot four coking coal blocks and 19 non-coking coal blocks to a clutch of firms, including Ispat, Lafarge, Grasim and Essar.

The four coking coal blocks are in Madhya Pradesh, while the 19 non-coking blocks are in Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,

Cement firm Lafarge has been given the Rajgamar Dipside (Deavnara) block in Chhattisgarh. The block has an estimated reserve of over 76 million tonnes (mt) and Lafarge will share it with Action Ispat and Power.

Monnet Ispat and Energy Ltd was allocated Rajgamar Dipside (south of a nala) block with reserves of about 62 million tons on a sharing basis with Topworth Steels.

In Bengal, the Moira and Madhujore (north and south) blocks, with 685 mt of reserves were allotted to ACC, the Adhunik group, Uttam Galva, Vikas Metal and Power Ltd, Mideast Integrated and Ramsarup Lohh.

The Andal East block, also in Bengal, with reserves of 890 mt, has been given to Bhushan Steel, Jai Balaji Industries and Rashmi Cement.

In Maharashtra, the Bander, Dahegaon, Gondkhari and Khappa blocks were given to Grasim, JK Cement, Dalmia Cement, Gujarat Ambuja, Shree Cement, Maharashtra Seamless and Sunflag.