Coal news and updates

Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Friday tabled the Nagaland Coal Policy (Ist Amendment) 2014 & the Nagaland Coal Mining (Ist Amendment) Rules, 2014 during the 5th session of the 12th Nagaland Legislative Assembly here. Since the Nagaland Coal Policy 2006 came into force, the Department of Geology & Mining has issued sufficient Coal Prospecting Licenses (CPL) and Coal Mining Leases (CML), including short term Small Pocket Deposit Licenses (SPDL), thereby bringing many mines under licensing policy of the state.

 

However, the amendment stated that un-planned extraction of coal is still being carried out by private parties/landowners at many places, especially in Mokokchung, Wokha, Dimapur, Mon, Longleng and Peren districts. It stated that illegal mining activities have resulted in accidents, health hazards, ecological and environmental degradation and substantial revenue loss due to loss of coal resource and leakages.

 

The NCP&R (1st Amendment) 2014 has been adopted to enable systematic development and optimal utilization of coal resources in the state. Nagaland is endowed with moderate deposits of coal, having prognostic reserve of about 316.41 million tonnes. The coal resource is being developed, extracted and marketed by local landowners in collaboration with outsiders/ registered companies or agencies.

 

According to the amendment, the government proposed to set up a common platform for trading of Nagaland coal under the Nagaland Coal Controlling & Trading System (NCCTS) by setting up Integrated Coal Depots (ICDs) in all coal bearing districts.

 

The amendment further informed that local coal operators/landowners lack sufficient financial sources to develop and extract complicated coal deposits, and sufficient knowledge to link with national and international market. This, it stated, has resulted in coal resources being sold out to “individuals/business communities/investors from outside the state through middlemen (mostly from Assam State) at nominal price.” As a result, the state’s coal market is being monopolized by outsiders.

 

Keeping view of the current situation, as per the state cabinet decision on January 30, 2014, the Directorate of Geology proposed to set up ICDs within the state and evolve a system for NCCTS by engaging interested private companies/agencies to set up coal depots/stockyards in government designated coal depots.

 

The Directorate identified eight locations for setting up coal depots (See box). Following this, infrastructures and amenities at coal depots will be set up departmentally through government funding. The department will check and regulate all coal depots and collect revenue from the designated depots.

 

The state government will compulsory requisition ‘Nagaland Coal’ to the nearest designated coal depots for trading and also declare all coal depots other than government designated coal depots as illegal. Illegal coal depots or coal carrying trucks shall be seized and forfeited.

 

The amendment further informed that a special force including IRB, NAP, etc, will be deployed at all designated depots and mining check gates for enforcement of the rules and policy. It added that no Nagaland coal shall be transported outside the state without trading through government designated coal depots and authorized trading agencies. The district administration is also required to extend full assistance to the department concerned and ensure that all coal produced by the operators/miners are brought to such designated coal depots before being exported.  “Henceforth, all coal depots/stockyards other than the government designated coal depots/stockyards is bandh,” it stated.

 

 

Source: http://www.morungexpress.com/