Trans Damodar Coal Mining Project inaugurated

Bankura (West Bengal), April 13 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday inaugurated the Trans Damodar Coal Mining Project at Barjora in Bankura district.

Annual production of coal from the opencast portion of the coal block is targeted at one million tonnes per year and it may increase to 1.25 million tonnes in future.

'Coal extracted from Trans Damodar sector would be utilised for the benefit of the state and the construction of 330 acres of coal storage is also on the anvil,' Banerjee said on the occasion.

The coal block is one of the six coal blocks allocated by the coal ministry, under the State Dispensation Route, to the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Ltd (WBMDTC), a state government undertaking.

The coal exploited from the block will be sold to the coal using industries based in the state through e-auction mechanism. 12.5 percent of the coal will be sold exclusively to the coal using enterprises in micro and small sectors.

The mining activities are presently spread over 282 acres.

This is the first project under public private partnership (PPP) model involving the government of West Bengal for commercial mining of coal.