Bengal mulls underground mining route for coal block

Kolkata, June 8: The West Bengal government is exploring the option of underground mining for one of the largest coal blocks, Deocha Pachami, in the state as the conventional open cast would be a challenge, state Power Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said on Friday. “Deocha Pachami coal block, the world’s second largest, was allocated to us. There is a stone block above the coal seams. “I recently went to Poland to understand the technical know-how to excavate coal below the stone block. Poland is technically sound,” Chattopadhyay said.

Deocha Pachami Dewanganj Harisingha has reserves of 2,102 million tonnes of coal and is spread across 21 villages in Birbhum district. “Open cast mining at the block cannot be possible. We have to go for underground mining. However, the project is at the initial stage,” he said on the sidelines of the “East India Energy Forum” organised by the Merchants Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (IANS)