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Coal India awaiting green clearances for 241 projects

State-owned Coal India (CIL) is awaiting environment and forestry clearances pertaining to its 241 projects, amid the flak the company is facing for not achieving its production target.

"At present, 48 environmental clearance proposals, having a capacity of about 109 Mty (Million tonnes Per Year), are awaiting clearances at different levels," a Coal India document said.

"At present, 193 forestry proposals are awaiting clearances either at MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) or at the state levels," the document added.

During the 11th Five Year Plan, it said, Coal India had obtained forestry clearances for 56 proposals involving an area of 7095 Ha (hectares) from MoEF. The contribution from these projects during 2012-13 was 77.5 million tonnes (MT).

"Five forestry proposals covering an area of 538 Ha have also been cleared by MoEF during the first year of the 12th Five Year Plan," it said.

The contribution from these projects during 2012-13 year was 0.85 MT.

As many as 122 environmental clearance proposals for a capacity of 207 MTPA were approved by the MoEF during the 11th Five Year Plan.

"So far 30 environmental clearance proposals, for a capacity of 100 Mty, have also been approved by the MoEF during the first year of the XIIth Five Year Plan i.e. 2012-13," it said.

CIL, which accounts for 81 per cent of the country's coal production, missed it production target of 464 MT in the last fiscal. It had produced 452.2 MT last fiscal.

CIL had produced 31.68 million tonnes of dry fuel in the month of August, missing its target of 32.73 MT.


Source: The Economic Times