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After decades of inaction, there is finally some movement on the proposed Tori-Shibpur-Hazaribagh rail connectivity to evacuate vast thermal coal reserves in Jharkhand.
The proposed 100 km rail connectivity is expected to ensure evacuation of an estimated 100 million tonnes of thermal coal annually by Coal India Ltd and captive users, from the North Karanpura coalfield area.
According to sources, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently granted phase-I clearance to the Tori-Shibpur segment of the proposed line. The Railways has approached the Ministry with an alternate route planning for the Shibpur-Hazaribagh segment.
Originally, the segment was proposed to be built through the core zones of Hazaribagh forest and was turned down by the environment panel.
Alternative route
While details of the alternate route plan was not available, sources told Business Line that in order to ensure minimum damage to the forest, Railways now suggested to take a longer way to Hazaribagh.
While comments were not available from the Railways, the CIL Chairman, Mr N.C. Jha, confirmed the development. “There is some positive movement on implementing the project,” Mr Jha told Business Line .
In July 2009, Business Line reported how lack of coal evacuation logistics was preventing Coal India and nearly 28 captive users (including NTPC) to implement mining projects in North Karanpura.
Boost to production
According to CIL sources, the implementation of even the Tori-Shibpur Segment would be a major boost to the company's production plan. The coal major owns a large number of blocks in the area totalling nearly 40 million tonnes (mt) annual capacity.
Mr R.K. Saha, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Central Coalfields Ltd – a wholly owned subsidiary of CIL, earlier told Business Line that the rail connectivity was slated to be ready almost a decade ago.
Lack of rail connectivity affected the evacuation from CCL's existing mines in the area and delayed development of at least two large sized open-cast mines — Magadh (20 mt) and Amrapali (12 mt) – both linked to NTPC's proposed power plants at Tandwa (1,980 MW) in Jharkhand and Barh-I (1,980 MW) in Bihar.
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