Coal India (CIL) has received clearance from environment ministry to expand the Jhanjra underground mining project in West Bengal, one of the few such proposals in recent years, which will help the state monopoly extract coal worth more than Rs 8,000 crore without destroying forests.
Coal India, under pressure to boost production, depends heavily on opencast mining, which is easier and cheaper, but faces hurdles as it often requires uprooting trees and displacing people. Other countries such as China and Australia use underground mining more than India.
Coal India is the world’s largest coal mining company. It also produces non-coking coal and coking coal of various grades for diverse applications.
