Industry & Economy
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Coal
Move to identify isolated pockets of coal deposits
Our Bureau
Kolkata
,
Feb. 26
AS a new initiative to improve availability of coal in the remote areas, the Union Ministry of Coal & Mines has directed Mineral & Exploration Corporation Ltd and Central Mine Planning & Design Institute Ltd to identify small isolated pockets of coal deposits, not connected by rail.
These two outfits have also been entrusted with the responsibility of formulating an appropriate policy for exploitation of such deposits.
According to CIL source, the policy aims at ensuring scientific exploitation of these resources and prevent possibility of "illegal unsafe" mining.
It is explained that these isolated pockets should have at least 10 million tonnes (mt) for open cast mining operation and 5 mt for underground operations.
Meanwhile, in another populist measure, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines, Ms Mamata Banerjee, has directed Coal India Ltd (CIL) to make coal available for domestic consumption for families below the poverty line.The erstwhile scheme was discontinued, for the last couple of years, due to poor offtake of coal by domestic urban consumers.
Now with the rising prices of kerosene, a large number of poor families prefer to switch over to coal, hence the decision to resume marketing of coal in the open market. Detailed modalities for operationalising a scheme are being worked out on priority basis, said the CIL source.
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