Coal India is in the process of identifying key projects to increase output to one billion tonnes a year by 2020. The identified projects would be brought under a comprehensive development plan and will be kept under close monitoring of the Coal Ministry.
“A mine specific production plan is being readied at CIL. It will be placed before the CIL board at its next meeting,” Coal Secretary Anil Swarup said. Swarup was addressing the members of the Kolkata-based MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The approach is not new. Bulk of CIL’s production comes from a handful of large opencast mines and the company management always focuses on these projects.
The only difference is this time the Centre became an active participant in the initiative and has committed all help in clearing the hurdles. Swarup said he was coordinating with the related ministries, including the Environment and Forest Ministry, to ensure functioning operation of identified projects.
Asked how he would get the States going for timely assessment of environment impact and forest clearances, Swarup said he would bank on his persuasion skills to take State governments on board.
He was, however, less clear on the vital issue of land acquisition. Though Coal India acquires land through special legal provision (Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act, 1957), social resistance has made the process extremely slow in the recent years.
“The Centre has already amended the Land Acquisition Act. We expect it will help resolve issues,” Swarup said.
Meanwhile, the Centre has asked CIL to invest in railway rolling stock to ensure availability of wagons.
“CIL now gets 220 rakes (a goods train consisting of 59 wagons) a day. To move one billion tonnes it will require 450 rakes a day,” the Coal Secretary said, adding the national miner will procure 37 rakes by March.