Coal India subsidiary NCL to start M-Sand production, says ministry

State-owned Coal India's subsidiary NCL will soon start production of M-Sand, a material used for construction works.

Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) will start production of M-Sand or Manufactured Sand for its Amlohri project in Madhya Pradesh, according to a coal ministry statement on Tuesday.

M-Sand is artificial sand produced from crushing hard stones into small sand-sized angular shaped particles, washed and finely graded to be used as construction aggregate. It is an alternative to river sand for construction works.

NCL is all set to start production of M-Sand and the move is aimed at maximising the utilisation of natural resources and minimising the adverse impact of mining.

Eyeing business diversification while focusing on the ecological balance, the company has set up a sand manufacturing plant using its over burden as a raw material.

This pro-environment move of the company will help in conserving river bed erosion and preserve aquatic ecosystems, as per the statement.

Recently, NCL received the consent to operate which paves the path towards commercial production and auction of M-Sand which is likely to begin next month.

A huge quantity of over burden is required to be removed to extract coal. The material above the coal seam is known as over burden.

Annually, NCL produces more than 122 million tonnes of coal from its 10 open-pit mines.