Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today wrote Union Coal Minister Piyush Goyal for allocation of coal mines to Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) instead of Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), located outside the State.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to the Centre after the Ministry of Coal decided to allot four mines of Odisha – Rampia, Dip side of Rampia, Ghogarpalli and Dip extension of Ghogarpalli to Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) instead of MCL, which is already operating several coal mines in Odisha.
“Operationalisation of coal mines requires close coordination with the local administration for land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement of project affected families. The WCL with its headquarters at Nagpur in Maharashtra may not be in position to effectively tackle these issues, which are critical to the smooth operationalisation of coal mines. The MCL has achieved a record production of more than 143 million tonnes of coal during the financial year 2017-18 and with a more focused approach towards rehabilitation and settlement of the affected families, it can grow further in partnership with local communities,” CM Patanik wrote.
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