State-run Coal India Limited (CIL) would invest Rs 26,000 crore in Chhattisgarh for developing infrastructures in the next 4 years.
The announcement came after a high level meeting between Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi. CIL’s arm South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) has major mining operation in Chhattisgarh.
In the last 4 years, more than Rs 13,200 crores have been paid to the State as part of statutory levies by SECL, Joshi said, adding that moreover, with enhanced coal production, SECL will pay around Rs. 22,900 crores as revenue to the State’s exchequer in the next 4 years.
Highlighting the efforts of government in building new infrastructure for rapid and smooth coal evacuation, Joshi said that Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited (CERL), a joint venture of SECL, IRCON and CSIDC is developing a rail corridor. CERL has already spent more than Rs 2,000 crore.
Notably, the CERL rail corridor is meant for meeting the logistic challenges foreseen on account of coal evacuation to meet the growing coal needs of the country and providing the region with passenger train connectivity.
This corridor has a total length of 193 kilometre and is being developed in two phases. The Phase I is from Kharsia to Dharamjayagarh with a route length of 131 kilometres while the Phase II with route length of 62 kilometres will further join Dharamjayagarh with Korba with a spur upto Gare-Plama Block of Coal Mines. In the Phase I, 43 kilometres long section from Kharsia to Korichapar has already been commissioned for goods traffic.
