Coal Ministry to create blueprint to check illegal mining

Kolkata, Jan 11 (UNI) Union Minister of state for Coal Dasai Narayana Rao today announced his plans to create a blue print to prevent large scale illegal underground mining and said the final decision will be taken in this regard after January 18 meeting of the high-powered committee set up under his chairmanship.

Speaking to newsmen here today, after holding a detailed review of production of coal, its demand, supply management and the related issues in connection with the recommendations made in the Integrated Energy Policy concerning coal, Mr Rao said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is seriously concerned about the rampant and unabated illegal mining in different parts of the country, particularly in the major coal belts in West Bengal and Jharkhand.

''The Prime Minister has recently set up a high powered committee under my chairmanship to find out a useful roadmap to bring an end to this menace once and for all through various means,'' he said.

He said the committee, which also has senior representatives from governments of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, had already held two meetings on top priority basis and decided to make its final recommendations after the next meeting in January 18 when it would be placed before the cabinet committee before giving the final nod.

''Though we know it is not possible to bring a full stop to the illegal underground mining but we are confident that it will almost come to an end after the committee's recommendations were implemented,'' the Minister said.

He, however, refused to disclose details of the poissible recommendations.

Giving an overall scenario of the coal sector, the Union Minister said in the Integrated Energy Policy, it was projected to increase the country's demand for coal from 473 million tonnes during 2006-07 to a whopping 2500 million tonnes by 2031-32.

Since the policy stated that coal continued to meet about 51 per cent of the country's total energy need till that period or even beyond.

Expressing serious concern at the steady decline in the production of underground coal mines almost since the nationalisation, about three decades ago, Mr Rao said in order to meet the country's increasing demand, they had decided to hike the production capacity of underground mining from 45 mt in 2005-06 to 75 mt within the next five years after touching the 55 mt mark by the end of the current fiscal.

In order to achieve this target, the Ministry and CIL have decided adopt the latest technology and resort to the state-of-the-art mechanised mining by using heavy earth moving machineries.

He said, among other important decisions taken in today's meeting, included that the CIL would supply only washed coal to various categories of consumers other than pitch-head power plants.

CIL would soon come out with a time frame and detailed plan to implement the decision.

The Centre has earmarked a total investment of Rs 8,000 crore for the projected benefication of coal by 2025 while the Coal India would spend Rs 15,600 crores for upgradation of services and capacity during the next five years, the minister said.

In today's meeting, among those present were Union Coal secretary H C Gupta and CIL CMD Parth Bhattacharya, besides several senior ministry officials.

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