Raipur, Aug 1 (IANS): The Centre has accepted the Chhattisgarh government's suggestion to replace five of the nine mines put for commercial coal auction in the state, Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi announced on Friday.

In addition, three new mines will be added on the suggestion of the state government, taking the total number of mines for commercial mining to seven. The overall reserve of the coal of all auctioned mines shall remain almost the same, he said.

The Chhattisgarh government had raised objections over the auction of coal mines in the proposed Lemru Elephant Reserve limits.

Addressing the media after meeting Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Joshi said: "The meeting was very positive, progressive and open minded. We have discussed various issues related to coal mining in the state.

"The Chief Minister has also given some good suggestions on the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) and National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) which we will consider positively."