The government may lift moratorium on Coal India?s (CIL) two coalfields – Korba in Maharashtra and Chandrapur in Chhattisgarh. A group of ministers (GoM) has accepted BK Chaturvedi?s recommendation regarding lifting of moratorium on coalfields placed after implementation of comprehensive environment pollution index (CEPI).
The recommendation has been accepted on the condition that the state pollution control boards will formulate proper mitigation plans and that will be approved by ministry of environment and forest (MoEF). According to officials in the state governments, the plans have already been sent to the environment ministry for review.
The ministry of environment and forest in 2009 had introduced CEPI to see the quality of environment at various locations and conducted a nation-wide assessment of industrial clusters. After that a moratorium was placed on seven coalfields of CIL – Chandrapur, Korba, Dhanbad, Talcher, Singrauli, Asansol and IB Valley. The moratorium was lifted on all the coalfields, except Korba and Chandrapur, after the coalfields were successful in cutting emission levels. The high-level committee – headed by planning commission member BK Chaturvedi had suggested that these moratorium should be lifted in order to ensure sufficient production of coal in the country.
Environment ministry in response said that it has already lifted moratorium in five coalfields. ??Once the mitigation plans are formulated by the concerned state pollution control boards, the ministry would lift moratorium from the other coalfields also,?? ittold the GoM.
A Jharkhand pollution control board official said that it has already sent its mitigation plans for Korba to the environment ministry. ??We are waiting for their response now,?? he said on the condition of anonymity.
The CEPI moratorium is expected to hit CIL’s production. The Korba coalfields have a reserve of about 5.5 billion tonne. About one-fifth of CIL?s production comes from Korba alone. CIL has been struggling with its production targets this year due to many reasons including heavy rainfall, strike, forestry clearances etc. It has lowered its production target for this fiscal to 440 million tonne (mt) from 452 mt in its annual plan.