Coal Executives’ Association urges Centre to Grant GREEN nod For CIL project In Assam

NEW DELHI: An association of coal executives has sought the Centre’s intervention for grant of green clearance to CIL’S Tikok open cast project (OCP) in Saleki proposed reserve forest in Assam, as the mining operation in the block has been put on hold in absence of the same. The development assumes significance in the wake of Coal India (CIL), which accounts for over 80 per cent of domestic coal output, eyeing one billion tonnes of production in order to cut import of the dry-fuel for blending purpose by domestic coal-based power plants in the current fiscal.

“With pain, All India Association of Coal Executives (AIACE) wishes to highlight the issues prevailing at Tikok OCP of North Eastern Coalfields (NEC) under Coal India Ltd and urge your kind intervention for its uninterrupted operation,” P K Singh Rathor, Principal General Secretary of the association, said in a letter to Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi. But due to various reasons, the production and morale of workforce of CIL operating in this region is jeopardised. Literally, production from Tikok OCP has stopped and there seems no way out to resume it by mine expansion, the letter said.

“If by any means, it is not possible to start the closed mine by awarding approval, the executives and staffs of NEC should be given option for transfer from there to any other production companies of CIL,” AIACE said. The operations in the project have been suspended from October 2019 on the directive of the Assam forest department, and it is “awaiting the stage-ii clearance” from the Centre, a statement issued by NEC had earlier said.

NEC had applied to the Assam government for forest clearance in 2003, and subsequently, another application was made in 2012, the miner had said, adding that the in-principle approval was granted by the Centre with 28 conditions. One of the conditions for approval was obtaining clearance from National Board for Wild Life (NBWL).

“The final clearance, which is stage-ii, for this project, will be granted by the Union Ministry after fulfilment of certain conditions by the project proponent, NEC, and only then extraction of coal can be done,” an official had said. In the letter to the minister AIACE said, CIL had a lease of 30 years, which expired in favour of the Assam government in 2003.

“CIL continued its operations, presumably with the consent of Assam government and apparently in the national interest. To continue mining operations after expiry of lease in 2003, CIL moved for needful clearances in 2003.

“It again repeated it in 2012 and requested for regularising the operations up to 2012 and simultaneously sought for prior approval from 2012 onwards up to 2023. The approval process is still continuing and is yet to meet its end,” the letter said.