Mining Industry needs Innovative Technology:Ritolia

Kolkata, Dec 15 (UNI)India would require 2,000 Million tonnes of coal to generate nearly 140,000 Megawatt of power by 2030-31 and to meet the challenge Mining Indutry should take corrective steps to have such a quantum jump of production, said Mr R P Ritolia, Chairman and Managing Director, Central Coalfields Limited here today.

Speaking at the three-day international conference on "New Technological Innovations for Surface and Underground Mining", he said though India, considered to be having the third largest reserve of coal in the world with China topping the list, it produced only about 407 million tones of coal during the last fiscal, while China produced nearly a whopping 2,000 million tonnes.

Quoting recent comments of Union Minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao on the issue, Mr Ritolia said the total production of coal by the public sector Coal India Limited and other captive miners during last year and this year were to the tunes of 343,372 million tonnes and 27,486 million tonnes respectively.

In addition, the Singareni collieries produced 36.138 million tones of coal during the sanme period.

Moreover, according to Minister Ritolie said, the estimated raw coal demand within the country during the current fiscal was about 474.18 million tonnes, adding that while the demand would be met from domestic supply of 432.39 Million tonnes, the gap of 41.79 million tonnes would be met from imports of 24.19 million tonnes of coking coal for steel sector and 17.60 million tonnes of non-coking coal for power, cement and other sectors.

Well known mining expert Professor Raghu Singh in his address suggested huge investment for tapping of the resources in coal mines the country's Western border, more particularly in the Thar region of Rajasthan.

Senior representatives from a number of countries including Germany and the UK besides neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan were present.

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