ITANAGAR: The Union Coal Ministry has announced the auction of two new coal blocks, Namchik East and Namchik West, located in the Changlang district, as part of the 11th round of commercial coal mine auctions. These blocks are among the 27 coal blocks listed for auction nationwide.
Namchik East and Namchik West are the extensions of the Namchik-Namphuk coal field in Kharsang and together hold an estimated combined geological reserve of 30.96 million tonnes (mt) of coal, spanning 6.063 square kilometers.
Officially, it is confirmed that coal reserves in Namchik East amount to 22.165 mt across 5.028 sq km while Namchik West holds 8.8 mt of reserves in 1.035 sq km.
The entire development comes after the auction of the central block of Namchik-Namphuk in November 2023 to M/s Coal Pulz Pvt Ltd. The central block has a reserve of 14.97 mt and covers 0.92 sq km. Here, mining operations have caused the felling of more than 204 trees and the displacement of 20 households.
Despite the ministry's claim that protected areas and forests with more than 40% green cover are excluded, FSI data reveals that Namchik East alone has 82% green cover. The proposed opencast mining projects across Namchik East and West will remove around 10,000 trees, which can displace 2,000 people across five villages and affect the local farmlands and plantations.
Since 2020, the coal ministry has auctioned 113 coal mines mainly to private companies with an intention of increasing economic growth and reducing coal imports. However, these projects face pressure from environmental and social impacts and calls for ecological assessments and rehabilitation of affected communities.
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