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Pratim Ranjan Bose

Kolkata, Nov. 24 Coal India has confirmed presence of over 1,400 million tonnes of coal in the area identified for setting up the proposed $2.5-billion Durgapur Aerotropolis project promoted by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL).

Of the total, 600 million tonnes of coal reserve is identified within the leasehold area of Eastern Coalfields, a wholly owned subsidiary of CIL. The company targets production of 405 million tonnes of coal in 2008-09, up by six per cent from its production in the last fiscal.

Aerotropolis, or an airport city, is an emerging concept for building an aviation-oriented business cluster around airports and along transportation corridors radiating from them, similar in shape to the traditional metropolis made up of a central city core and its commuter-linked suburbs.

A detailed study conducted by Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) — a wholly owned subsidiary of CIL — pointed out that the coal reserve is of grade C and D variety and building the airport city may make mining operations in the area difficult.

According to CIL sources, C and D varieties have low ash content and high heat value, available in low quantities in the country, and is often blended with thermal coal (having high ash content) to bring down the overall ash content due to environmental restrictions. The report is forwarded to the State and Union government, sources added.

While no official confirmation was available from CIL in this regard, the company chairman, Mr Partha Bhattacharyya, recently said: “We will give our studied opinion on the estimation of loss of mining reserves. Following this, it will be up to the State and the Centre to decide on relocating the project or sacrificing the coal reserves for construction of the airport city.”

CIL initially estimated the reserves in the Durgapur-Andal area — approximately 150 km from the State capital — at 2,355 million tonnes. However, the company launched a detailed study in end October following availability of a detailed land map of the proposed project.

More Stories on : Outlook | Coal

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