Operations at the Tikok open pit project were temporarily suspended in June 2020 following reports of illegal mining in forested areas
Operations at the Tikok open pit project were temporarily suspended in June 2020 following reports of illegal mining in forested areas
Coal mining has resumed in part of the Dehing Patkai elephant sanctuary in east Assam nearly two years after it was halted following reports of illegal mining in forested areas and protests over its environmental impact.
Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Saturday inaugurated the resumption of mining operations at the Tikok (OCP) open pit project of North Eastern Coalfields (NEC), a unit of Coal India Limited.
Mining operations in Tikok and adjacent Tirap OCP were temporarily suspended in June 2020 following reports of illegal mining in forested areas and protests over its impact on the 111.19-square-kilometer Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, a subtropical rainforest that became a national park in June was expanded, had occurred in 2021.
The national park is part of the 937-square-kilometer Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, which also includes the British-era collieries and oil refinery town of Digboi.
Conservationists had wept hoarsely when the National Board for Wild Life recommended in April 2020 that 98.59 hectares of a planned reserve forest within the elephant reserve be used for coal mining, as 57.20 hectares had already been broken up by the NEC. Protests led to the cessation of operations.
With operations resuming, the NEC hopes to produce 4 lakh tonnes of coal per year from two collieries – the Tikak OCP and the Tikak Extension OCP. The Tirap OCP will also be operational in a few months with the aim of producing 10 lakh tons of coal annually.
Assam Prime Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on the official program that the BJP-led state government had fulfilled another election promise by resuming mining operations. “But during the commissioning of the Tikok mine, we have ensured that mining activities continue in harmony with nature as we are committed to maintaining a balance between development and the environment,” he said.
The reopening of the mines, he added, is “very important for the socio-economic development of the region, which has received a major boost today”.
