Coal news and updates

Goa Industrial Development Corporation gets forest clearance to develop Chhattisgarh coal mine

oa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), the nodal agency appointed by the state government for development of a coal block allotted in the Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh, has succeeded in getting forest clearance from the Union ministry of enviornment and forest (MoEF).

The GIDC will be able to start coal mining only after it gets a mining licence from the Chhattishgarh government.

The forest division of the MoEF granted forest clearance to GIDC in September this year, a GIDC official said. Though it has to also get other clearances before it can start mining, he added that everything will be set in motion once they obtain a mining licence from the Chattishgarh government.

GIDC officials are relentlessly working to get various permissions for the past three years. Another hurdle that GIDC has to cross is completing the land acquisition process. The total area of land earmarked for coal mining is 639 hectares, whereas projected area is 714.35 hectares.

The Goa government is expected to get 1,800 mega watt of power through this coal block. Power project development agency K S K Energy Venture Pvt Ltd, has been appointed for power generation. It is yet to finalize a mineral producer though it had earlier appointed National Mineral development Corporation (NMDC).

The GIDC officer said that the NMDC has not responded and as a result the government will have to initiate the process for appointment of a new agency.

The coal mining will be done in a four-phased manner.

Though Goa was allotted the coal block five years ago, it was only in 2009-10 that major process for activating the coal block commenced.

A steering committee comprising principal secretary industries, principal secretary mines, principal secretary power, chief electrical engineer and GIDC managing director has been appointed to regularly monitor the progress of the coal block.

Source: The Times of India