Admin upset with CCL for delay in starting coal prod

Daltonganj: Fifteen years after the production of coal in the open-cast coal mines of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) at Rajhara block in Palamu district was shut down in 2010, the pleas by the district administration and the local politicians to the CCL authorities to restart operations have been in vain.

Palamu deputy commissioner (DC) Shashi Ranjan recently directed additional collector Kundan Kumar to send a strong missive to the CMD of the CCL, asking him to start production.

Additional collector Kumar, "The CCL is is only buying time on Rajhara colliery. It lacks determination to start mining. Acting upon the directions of the DC, I had sent a letter to the CMD of the CCL in March. But we are yet to see any works. Even after the intervention of the CMD, CCL Rajhara colliery remains a non-starter for some or the other reason. CCL Rajhara colliery has to give job to each of the 20 raiyyats families who will lose two acres each of land for mining. This seems to be a hurdle."

Sources said many raiyyats do not own two acres of land. They are buying or borrowing land from co-land owners. The lenders of piecemeal land have their own terms and conditions. Also, CCL Rajhara colliery frequently identifies certain raiyyats as 'out of the mining plan', causing significant delays.

BJP MP Vishnu Dayal Ram said, "I doubt the intention of the CCL Rajhara colliery management in starting the production of coal."

The CCL Rajhara colliery was a major issue in the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2014, 2019, and 2024 when contestants made tall promises of its opening and production of coal in "a few months of the election if voted to office".

Project officer of the CCL Rajhara colliery Binod Kumar Deepak said, "Work is on full swing at this colliery. We are pumping out water (six to seven gallons per minute) with each of the three pump sets engaged to drain out the water-logging the mining areas. The CCL Rajhara colliery is expecting arrival of a state of art shovel machine in another 10 days."

On being asked as to when the CCL Rajhara colliery is expected to start production , he said, "I can only say that the shovel machine is reaching soon."

Sources said the draining out of logged water and arrival of the shovel machine may brighten hope to restart soon.