Coal mining resumes at CCL's Rajhara colliery in Jharkhand's Palamu after 16 years

Medininagar, Jan 17 (PTI) Union minister Satish Chandra Dubey on Saturday inaugurated the resumption of coal mining operations at Rajhara Colliery of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in Jharkhand's Palamu district.

Coal mining operations had been closed at the site since 2010.

Dubey said, "India is progressing significantly in the coal sector. The CCL project holds great importance for the region. The resumption of operations will not only generate employment but also contribute to the overall development of the area." He said that this would also help curb migration from the region. There has been a long-standing demand to restart the Rajhara coal mine, and the government has accorded it high priority, the minister said.

He further said that mining at Rajhara Colliery had been halted since 2010 due to unavoidable reasons.

BJP MP from Palamu said that efforts had been made at multiple levels to restart the mine and that success had finally been achieved.

The Rajhara Colliery area holds 4.5 million tonnes of Grade-9 coal, the MP said.

CCL CMD Nilendu Kumar Singh stated that the mine has a normal production capacity of 0.30 million tonnes per year, with a maximum potential of 0.50 million tonnes annually.

Environmental clearance is valid until February 2037, while the Consent to Operate (CTO) is valid until March 2026, and the renewal process is underway, the CMD said. PTI COR RPS RG