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.