Coal projects helping in increasing green cover along with mining activity: Govt

The government on Monday said new projects of state-owned Coal India Ltd CIL are not only reclaiming land to its original shape but also enhancing green cover along with mining activity.

The government on Monday said new projects of state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) are not only reclaiming land to its original shape but also enhancing green cover along with mining activity. Out of many such greenfield projects, one of the largest projects of Coal India, Jayant opencast coal project in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh is forging ahead with a mission of looking beyond coal mining with land restoration and enhancing green cover day by day, the coal ministry said in a statement.

This has helped in lowering down the effect of pollution substantially and has also helped in increasing carbon offset. The project is under Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL), a CIL arm.

During a detailed review of environmental and forest clearance of Jayant Project by Coal Secretary, the satellite data of the project revealed more green cover than the pre-mining forest cover, which is an outstanding achievement for any mega coal project operating in large leasehold area.

Jayant coal project operates in an area of about 3,200 hectares with an annual coal production capacity of 25 million tonnes. In line with the Green Cover Mission, massive plantation is being carried out every year in and around the project which includes reclaimed area and overburden (OB) dump areas with the help of Madhya Pradesh Rajya Van Vikas Nigam Limited (MPRVVNL).