CCL’s coal production grows 10.25% to record 61.35 mt in FY16

Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) produced 61.35 million tonnes (mt) during financial year 2015-16, its highest ever, against a target of 60.6 mt. The company surpassed last year’s achievement of 55.65 mt, with the growth in coal production being about 10.25 per cent.  This is the second consecutive year that CCL has recorded double-digit growth, achieving its target as well. Such double digit growth is likely to continue in the coming financial years too. 

During the period 2009-10 to 2012-13, the company’s coal production was stagnating at around 48 mt. The company held inventory (coal stocks) of about 16 mt  (about 33 per cent of annual production) for years and because of its age, coal stocks displayed indications of spontaneous heating at many places. 

Many ongoing projects suffered from acute shortage of land as land owners were not handing over their plots to CCL. The employees were demotivated and demoralised. Over the past three years, 

the same company — with the same set of employees — has achieved unprecedented growth. 

During financial year 2015-16 the company could remove about  106.9  million Cum over burden, the highest ever against the target of 100  million Cum and last year’s achievement of 97.376 million Cum. The growth in OB removal was about 10 per cent, which was over and above the 65 per cent growth achieved in OB removal in 2014-15. The achievement was about 107 per cent of the target. 

Coal offtake during 2015-16 was about 59.6 million tonnes, the highest ever. On the achievement last year of 55.34 million tonnes, the growth was  about 8 per cent over last year. 

The productivity (measured by OMS) in 2015-16 reached 6.48 T, recording an unprecedented growth of  about 19 per cent. The main priority of CCL for the year 2016-17 is to turn into a zero grievance company.  A Samadhan Kendra has been set up at the headquarters and in all areas for expeditious redress of grievance of stake holders. During a span of about three years, ie 2013 to 20 16, six greenfield projects were commissioned, which has no parallel in the coal industry.  On May 3 last year, the Magadh Project under Magadh & Amrapali  area of CCL was inaugurated, which has a capacity of 51 mt per year and can go up to 70 mt.

It has also proposed the world’s largest single pit coal mine Magadh OCP, with a normative capacity of 51 mty and peak capacity of 70 mty) The scheduled  time of commissioning was April 2006 and actual  time of commissioning was May 2015. All disputes with villagers related to the Piparwar Railway Siding, scheduled to be commissioned in 1998, have been resolved and this railway line is to be commissioned by December 2016. 

The land authentication process was greatly expedited in 2015-16 due to the active support of the state government. Out of the 11,684 acres of land authenticated in the last three years, 10,289 acres were authenticated in 2015-16 alone. 

Owing to modernisation, the growth in washed non-coking coal production was about 29 per cent. Three new washeries are already in the process of being set up. Tenders for two washeries (3.5-mty Karo and 7-mty Konar) have already been floated. All new mines with a capacity of more than 10 mty are being planned to have their own washery along with reject-based power plant.

An MoU has been signed between the Jharkhand government and CCL to open 15 sports academies and a sports university in a phased manner at the Hotwar mega-sports complex and astro-turf stadium at Morabadi. Fourteen hundred students will be trained  in these sports academies.  The selection procedure for the first batch of 78 students is under process. These students will be provided free schooling, boarding and lodging. CCL had set up an ITI  in which 20 students selected  in 2014-15 and 19 students selected  in 2015-16 are undergoing training in the electrician’s trade. 

MSDC has been set up at Barkakana. The first batch of 50 students has already passed out after being trained in the electrician and welder trade (25 in each trade).  Many students were absorbed by different companies at the employment fair organised by CCL on January 8, 2016. The second  batch of 49 students is at present undergoing training. 

CCL has started a new initiative for training 25 SC/ST youth for three years for Mining Sirdarship. These student will be given a stipend of Rs 2,500 per month in the first year, Rs 3,000 per month in the second year and Rs 3,500 per month in the third year. On the education front, CCL will replicate its highly successful  CCL Ke Lal scheme for girls  from April 2016, for which 11 girls will be selected from the CCL command areas. 

These 11 meritorious students will be studying in classes XI and XII at DAV Gandhinagar School, Ranchi. They will be given free coaching for admission to reputed technical institutions of the country.  CCL has become the third industry partner  together with TCS and Tata Motors with a financial involvement of Rs 6.4 crore. Also, the establishment of an IIIT at Ranchi by the Jharkhand government is in the pipeline. 

Fifty-one schools are fully or partially funded by CCL.  Under the Swachch Vidyalaya Abhiyan, CCL has constructed 11,850 toilets in 6,352 schools of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Odisha. 

The estimated cost of construction/ renovation and maintenance for five years of the above mentioned toilets is Rs 324 crore.