The Ministry of Coal has removed Bander Mine in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra from the list of 41 coal blocks to be auctioned for commercial mining as the mine is situated in the eco-sensitive zone of the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
In a withdrawal notice dated 21 July, the Ministry of Coal said, “Bidders may be good enough to note that the Bander coal mine is now part of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in compliance with the notification declaring the region to be an eco-sensitive zone issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change.”
Accordingly, the Ministry of Coal has agreed to remove the Bander coal mine from the auction process under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.
“In view of the above, Bander coal mine is removed from the 11th Auction Tranche.,” he said.
Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an auction of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining.
The Notice further mentioned that “the list of coal mines offered for auction of coal mines for sale on 18 June shall be amended to that effect.”
The block with a geological reserve of 126,105 million tons has an estimated peak rated capacity of 2 million tons per year.
Launching the commercial mining auction, which is expected to garner Rs 33,000 crore of foreign investment in the country over the next 5-7 years, Modi said India will win the coronavirus war and turn this crisis into an opportunity, and the pandemic will make India self-reliant.
The launch not only marks the beginning of the decades-long opening of the country’s coal market, but also aims to make India the largest exporter of coal, he said.
Currently, despite being the world’s fourth-largest producer, India is the second-largest importer of dry fuel, Modi noted that the auction process would result in substantial revenues for states and generate jobs in addition to the development of far-flung areas.
The launch of the auction process for these blocks, part of the series of announcements made under ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan,’ is expected to contribute Rs 20,000 crore revenues annually to state governments.
