India

Singareni Seeks Land and Support for Odisha Projects, Including Coal Transport Road

By The Hindu Bureau

Chairman and Managing Director of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), Dr. Buddhaprakash Jyoti, met with District Collector of Angul, Mohammad Abdaal Akhtar, on Tuesday to discuss land allocation and other support needed for the company’s proposed projects in Odisha. The plans include a thermal power plant near the Naini coal mine, a rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) colony for families affected by the mine, and roads for coal transportation.

The Collector responded positively and assured necessary support. The meeting, attended by SCCL directors Gowtam Potru and L.V. Suryanarayana, Executive Director (Coal Movement) B. Venkanna, General Manager (Coordination) T. Srinivas, Naini General Manager Debdulal Baidya and others, covered land acquisition, approvals and other requirements for the proposed works.

Dr. Jyoti requested suitable land for an R&R colony for the 40 families displaced by the Naini mine and an early meeting of the Rehabilitation and Periphery Advisory Committee (RPDAC) to decide on the R&R package, land acquisition for the colony and other rehabilitation matters.

For the thermal power plant, the company identified land in Tukuda and Jarapada villages and asked the Collector’s support in acquiring it.

Regarding the coal‑transport road, Dr. Jyoti noted that SCCL had already deposited ₹35 crore toward a bypass road between Chandipara and Jarapada villages, which will connect coal from the Naini block to the nearby Jarapada railway junction. He requested departmental support to complete the road, which could also serve other coal‑producing industries.

He also sought suitable land for a Singareni office and staff colony in Odisha as the company expands there, and support for constructing the Majhika bypass road to transport coal without inconveniencing local residents, assuring that the company would provide funds for land acquisition.

The District Collector assured the company of full cooperation, stating that they would support Singareni’s efforts to meet the country’s power requirements.

Later, the Singareni team visited Jindal’s coal gasification plant in Angul district, the country’s first coal gasification facility. They learned about producing gas from domestic coal and its use by Jindal Steel, and discussed with experts the prospects and feasibility of coal gasification using coal from Singareni’s closed underground mines, as well as incentives offered by the Central Government. Singareni coal from the Naini mine is also transported to the Jindal plant.