SCCL can’t carry coal on trucks after yr-end

NGT tells Singareni Collieries to use conveyor belt for coal transportation

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has advised the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) to stop transporting coal in trucks from its open cast mines near Sattupally in Khammam district to the Bhadrachalam Road railway station, from the end of this year.

The NGT said SCCL must ensure that as per approved plans, the company must ensure transportation of coal from the opencast mines on a conveyor belt to the railway siding at Sattupalli beginning January 1, 2022.

At present, coal mined from the two opencast mines near Sattupalli is transported by road to the coal handling plant (CHP) in Kothagudem in tarpaulincovered trucks.

A `398 crore, 10 million tonnes per annum capacity, modern CHP with builtin environmental safeguards is under construction at Kothagudem. Also, a 54.1 km long railway line is being laid by the Railways from Sathupalli to Bhadrachalam Road at a cost of `927.94 crore, of which SCCL's share is `618.55 crore.

Though the mined coal is transported by tarpaulin-covered trucks, the road trip sees a lot of coal dust flying from the trucks and polluting the air and the environment along the road. The SCCL officials have assured a team of NGT officials that the deadline for truck-free transport of the coal will be met.

A joint committee from the NGT and the state comprising representatives from the roads and buildings department, the mines and geology department, scientists and senior IAS officers examined the issues and problems reported by residents in villages surrounding the mines. The committee advised SCCL to provide potable drinking water to the nearby villages by immediate installation of RO plants that will be maintained by SCCL for three years as stipulated by the environment ministry. On the issue of SCCL extracting more-than-permitted quantity of coal from the mines, the NGT said. “SCCL undisputedly exceeded the production capacity than the sanctioned capacity by not complying with the stipulated calendar plan including excavation and quantum of coal and thus violated the environmental clearance and the consent accorded. In this regard, credible legal action has already been initiated by the Telangana State PCB and the matter is sub judice.”

While the environmental Capacity (EC) was 2.5 MTPA for 2019-20, SCCL extracted 3.815 MTPA of coal during the period.

The NGT also directed the SCCL to ensure that mobile medical camps are regularly conducted for people in villages around its mines.