2 fuel linkage projects facing delays: Coal Ministry

Coal Ministry during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed that two of the four fuel linkage projects including Shivpur-Kathautia rail line in Jharkhand are facing delays and added that there is need for the Centre's intervention to expedite delayed projects. The Ministry said that the forest clearance for the project in underway and land acquisition for the project is pending. Further, it also discussed exploring opportunities to promote coastal movement of coal.

Out of the four projects, the Ministry said that the crucial Jharsuguda-Barpalli railway line in Odisha in on schedule and is likely to be completed by June. Besides, Bhupdevpur/Kharsiya to Korichapar-Dharamjaigarh project in Chhattisgarh is on schedule and it is expected to be completed by March, next year.

Recently, the government had said that the land related issues with regard to long-pending Tori-Shivpur railway line, which would help in fast evacuation of coal to power plants, have been resolved and the 44-km long project is expected to be completed by 2017-end. The government had said that the project will evacuate 80-100 million tonnes of coal.