Centre to develop Chattisgarh's Gevra Mega project into Asia's largest coal mine

The mine operated by South Eastern Coalfields (SECL) has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first mine in India to produce 50 million tonnes of coal annually.

During his visit to Chhattisgarh, Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena conducted a comprehensive review meeting with senior officials of the Chhattisgarh government in Raipur.

The discussions primarily focused on various operational aspects of South Eastern Coalfields (SECL), including environmental clearances, forest clearances, land acquisition, and cooperation from the state government for rehabilitation and resettlement, particularly concerning SECL's major projects such as Gevra, Dipka, and Kusmunda.

A statement released by the Ministry of Coal on Saturday highlighted the key points addressed during the meeting.

During the meeting, the coal secretary stressed the importance of completing the projects within specified timelines and promoting effective coordination with the state government and other stakeholders.

He also held discussions with officials from the South East Central Railway (SECR) at the SECL headquarters in Bilaspur, where he reviewed the progress of the Chhattisgarh East Railway (CERL) and Chhattisgarh East West Railway (CEWRL) rail projects.

The secretary inaugurated the 'Chhal' rail siding in SECL's Raigarh area and assessed the advancements of two rail corridors that are being developed under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model in the state.

The Coal Secretary, along with the General Manager of South East Central Railway (SECR) and the CMD of SECL, convened a meeting at the SECL headquarters to discuss coal evacuation from the Korba and Mand-Raigarh coalfields.

The meeting delved into various aspects related to SECL's coal dispatch, availability of railway rakes, and progress on rail projects.

Notably, senior officials from SECR and SECL were also present during the discussions.

On the second day of the visit, the Coal Secretary inspected the railway line being constructed from Gevra Road to Pendra Road under Chhattisgarh East West Railway Limited (CEWRL) project in SECL's Korba coalfields.

He along with SECL CMD Dr. Prem Sagar Mishra and SECL Functional Directors inspected bridge no. 3 of Urga Kusmunda Connectivity Line.

This project will play an important role in the transportation of coal from SECL's mega projects operating at Korba coalfield.

The project is 191 km long which includes the work of 135.3 km of main line.

The project includes Gevara Road, Surakachhar, Dipka, Katghora Road, Bijhara, Putua, Mateen, Sendurgarh, Puttipakhana, Bhadi,  Dhangawan and Pendra Road stations.

Passenger facilities will also be developed at these stations along with the railway line in the entire corridor. The total cost of CEWRL project is about Rs. 4970 crore and land acquisition and forest clearance for its main line has been completed. The project is likely to be completed by December next year.