SHILLONG: A high level committee visited the coal mining areas of TATA in Jharkhand recently to study the feasibility of mechanised mining.
The purpose of the visit was also for immediate environment stabilisation works in coal mining areas of Meghalaya as per the directions of Supreme Court and NGT.
An official source said on Tuesday that the committee visited West Bokaro coal mining areas of TATA in Jharkhand.
The delegation consisted of Shantanu Dutta, Additional Director, Central Pollution Control Board and member of Justice BP Katakey Committee, Tining Dkhar Commissioner and Secretary, Mining and Geology and Naba Bhattacharjee, Chairman, State level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) and special invitee to the NGT committee.
The source added that a remarkable balance between mining followed by immediate environment restoration and rehabilitation programme was witnessed during the visit.
A comprehensive working scheme was drawn by TATA management to ensure that within 60 days of mine overburden dump consolidation subsequent to mine closure, the environment stabilisation work commences.
There is no overburden dump where afforestation of indigenous species, including grass and soil binders is not undertaken and vegetative cover is restored.
The delegation felt that TATA after extracting 75% of coal reserve through open cast mining is now extracting balance 25% involving underground mining through Block and Pillar method adopting mechanised mining with automated equipment and machines controlled and monitored digitally.
The committee observed that mechanised mining with such small seam width is not feasible in all mining areas of Meghalaya but the environment reclamation works are imperative in areas already mined.
