Chhattisgarh: New mines give South Eastern Coalfields a ray of hope

The South Eastern Coalfields (SECL), which failed to meet the coal production target last financial year, can heave a sigh of relief with the discovery of new mines.

The Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) has started exploration at 50 places in the Chirimiri Coalfields, which are located in the valley of the Hasdeo river, a tributary of the Mahanadi, in the Koriya district of Chhattisgarh.

The coalfields are part of Central India Coalfields and the mines are developed and operated by SECL, a Chhattisgarh-based arm of state-run Coal India (CIL).

According to SECL officials, digging work has started at 25 places. “The exploration work has started in the lease area of the SECL and we have received a very positive indication that will facilitate for the company to enhance its output,” a senior official said.

SECL has been the largest dry-fuel producer among all CIL entities. However, Odisha-based Mahanadi Coalfields (MCL), another CIL subsidiary, succeeded SECL to take the top spot. MCL emerged as the largest coal producing company of CIL with production pegged at 168.2 million tonnes (mt) against previous year’s 148 mt, an increase of 13.6 per cent. At the same time, production at SECL spilled and the company even failed to achieve the target set for the financial year 2021-22. It could produce 142.5 mt against the target of 150.6 mt. Even the first four months of 2022-23 have not been so encouraging for the SECL with coal output declining 8.4 per cent.

SECL manages the country’s biggest coal mines that include Gevra, Dipka, and Kusmunda. Due to environmental concerns and local objections, the mines were unable to expand, significantly limiting production.

After exploration, the CMPDI would submit its reports to the SECL mentioning the details of the reserve and volume. Based on the report, SECL would take necessary statutory approval and clearances to start the new mines.

The Central India Coalfields is spread over the districts of Surguja, Koriya (both in Chhattisgarh), Shahdol and Umaria (both in Madhya Pradesh). There are 14 coalfields in this group, which covers an area of about 5,345 square km with estimated reserves of 15,613.98 mt.