Mamata inaugurates coal mining project in Birbhum

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday inaugurated ‘Deucha Pachami Deowangung Harinsinga’ coal mining project in Birbhum. This will be one of the biggest coal mining projects in India which is expected to come up in the district by the end of 2019. 

Banerjee officially inaugurated the project during the Joydev Kenduli Fair in Birbhum. She said the approximate cost of the project is around Rs 22,000 crore which will create huge employment in the area.  

“There is a coal reservoir of around 210 crore tonne. Once the project is finished we will be able to extract huge amount of the coal that would help us in generating energy. There will be five coal blocks and we will be able to supply coal to other states like Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” Banerjee said. 

West Bengal Mineral Development and Training Corporation Ltd (WBMDTCL) and Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Ltd (BCL) are the agencies which will undertake the project. 

Banerjee said the project will create direct and indirect employment in the area which is mostly populated by the tribal and backward class people. They will be inducted into the project. 

“A large number of people from Birbhum and adjoining districts will get opportunity to work in India’s largest coal mines. People will not have to go outside for job. We have hired some experts in the field to make the project a big success,” Banerjee said. 

She also said the board meeting for the commencement of work has already been taken place. I myself have designed the logo of the new venture. 

The senior officials of WBMDTCL believe that as there is a huge reservoir of coal, the state government will be able to extract record amount coal in a year. A huge portion of excavated coal will be supplied to other states. The power supply in the state will get a boost as the WBMDTCL and BCL are planning to generate power from the mining. 

It may be mentioned here that the state is on the verge of completion of the rural electrification projects. There are few villages where the electricity has not reached yet. The Chief Minister on Monday announced that rural electrification work will be completed by February. 

She, however, admitted the low voltage has been a serious problem at some villages which will soon be addressed. The state government is working to solve this problem in various phases. Banerjee also mentioned that there is a huge surplus in the production of energy. She also believes that once the new project is completed the other neighboring states will be benefitted from this coal mining.