Coal news and updates

Govt sale order on coal dug out of NH-33

The four-laning of NH-33 near Kuju coal belt under Mandu block in Ramgarh district has benefited the Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation (JSMDC).

While digging up the highway, construction companies had come across huge coal reserves which were later collected by the forest department and given to JSMDC. The process of selling the coal has been initiated after the government authorized JSMDC to dispose of the coal stocked in the residential colony of the forest department near divisional forest officer's office in Ramgarh. Forest officers had sent a request to the state government for selling the coal.

A K Singh, divisional forest officer (DFO), Ramgarh said after sending a formal request to the government it has authorized JSMDC to sell the coal stocked by the forest department. Coal is a highly inflammable article and the forest department has no expertise of storing coal."We have collected huge quantity of coal measuring 7159.20 cubic metres (approximately 9000 metric tonnes) from NHAI, which came out while digging up NH-33 which was done to convert the highway into four lanes," Singh said.

Meanwhile, a senior coal official in Kuju said the forest officers had not contacted coal officials to help them store coal.

Source: The Times of India