Team News Riveting
Raipur, May 9
The first rake of superior grade limestone from Black stone quarry of SAIL-Bhilai Steel Plant’s Nandini Mines was unloaded at Ore Trench (OT), Charging side of Blast Furnaces today.
The unloading of rake was done with Director In-charge, Bhilai Steel Plant, Anirban Dasgupta and ED (Mines & Rowghat), Manas Biswas flagging off the process of unloading in presence of ED (P&A) K K Singh, ED (Projects), A K Bhatta, ED (Works), Anjani Kumar, CGM I/c Services, SN Abidi, CGMs and other senior officers of the Plant heading different shops and departments including GM I/c Raw Materials Dept, I Sengupta.
Limestone transportation from black stone quarry at Nandini is a significant event as it signals the completion of revival of the black stone quarry at Nandini that has been submerged under water for about twenty years. SAIL-BSP management had taken the initiative to revive mining from the submerged black stone quarry. Not only is this initiative helping to meet the Plant’s requirement for superior grade limestone, it is also benefitting the villagers residing in adjoining areas by way of supply of water under which the black stone quarry was submerged.
At the outset, GM I/c Nandini Mines, P Ekka delivered the welcome address and AGM (Mines) Shri DN Rastogi threw light on the entire process of reviving the blaskstone quarry and the steps taken to overcome challenges faced. Dasgupta and Biswas in their address congratulated the Nandini Mines collective for the initiative taken to revive mining from the black stone quarry.
As part of SAIL-Bhilai’s initiative to revive mining from black stone quarry, a 900 metre ‘setu’ or bridge has been built with waste material in the quarry to divide it into A and B block. Water collected in B block has been drained with the help of high-pressure pump and same has been used to fill up ponds in nearby villages through pipelines, making this block available for mining and paving the way for mining low-silica grade limestone. The grade of limestone thus obtained is similar to the limestone from SAIL’s Kuteshwar mines in Madhya Pradesh. On the other hand, the water made available for filling up ponds in the villages nearby has helped raise the water table, thus benefitting villagers.
The rake received at Plant today contains limestone obtained from B block of this quarry, thus signalling the beginning of transportation of superior grade limestone from the freshly re-opened black stone quarry at Nandini.
It may be recalled that Minister of State for Steel & Rural Development, Faggan Singh Kulaste during his visit to Nandini on 20th Oct 21 had formally signalled the beginning of limestone mining from the black stone quarry.
