Bhatti meets Odisha CM, urges him to expedite land transfer to Naini coal block

Bhatti meets Odisha CM, urges him to expedite land transfer to Naini coal block

Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday requested Chief Minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi to expedite the transfer of forest and private land to Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) to enable its commercial operations in Naini Block, allotted to it in 2015.

Mr. Vikramarka went to Odisha along with a delegation of Energy department and Singarani officials to pursue the transfer of lands to SCCL to commence the mining operations as early as possible. He called on the Odisha Chief Minister in the Secretariat and explained to him that Singareni had secured all clearances, including environmental and forest, for Naini but the transfer of lands was still pending.

Further, he explained to Mr. Majhi that commencement of the mining operation in Naini would provide employment to the youth of the State and the State Government would also get a tax revenue of about ₹600 crore. Besides, mining of coal, it would help the country meet the growing energy needs. Mr. Vikramarka also handed over a formal letter with all details to the Odisha Chief Minister and requested him to expedite the transfer of forest and private land to Naini.

Responding to the plea, Mr. Majhi instructed the Odisha authorities concerned to take necessary action and assured the former that their government would completely cooperate with Singareni in the commencement of coal mining in Naini.

Mr. Vikramarka brought to Mr. Mohan Charan’s notice that the Telangana Government had met the then Union Coal Minister Prahlad Joshi immediately after assuming office in December 2023 and represented issues pertaining to Singareni including allotment of coal blocks. He handed over the copies of letters submitted to Mr. Joshi in the past to Mr. Mohan Charan on the occasion.

Along with transfer of lands, infrastructure facilities such power supply, road connectivity were also required for taking up mining in Naini, Mr. Vikramarka said in his request to Odisha Chief Minister. He was accompanied by Principal Secretary (Energy) Ronald Rose, Chairman and Managing Director of SCCL N. Balaram and others.

Later, Mr. Vikramarka and others left for a visit to the Naini coal block in Angul district.