Public hearing for Chhattisgarh's Kente Extension mine project concludes successfully

Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), Aug 2 (IANS) The public hearing for the proposed Kente Extension open-cast mine project, organised by the Environmental Protection Board in the Udaipur block of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, concluded successfully on Friday.  

The state-owned Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd (RRVUNL) will open a new captive coal mine spanning across 1,760 hectares with an annual coal production capacity of 11 million tonnes and a state-of-the-art washery project.

This development comes after the successful 12-year operation of the Surguja-based Parsa East Kete Basan (PEKB) Block, which produces 15 million tonnes of coal annually.

Besides Kete Extension and PEKB Block, the Centre has also allocated Parsa Block to RRVUNL in the Surguja district. Better access to coal from captive mines will reduce Rajasthan's dependence on Coal India and expensive imported coal to fuel its power generation units.

The Coal Ministry has awarded the PEKB Block a prestigious five-star rating in recognition of its excellent operations. RRVUNL has made substantial investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives focusing on education, healthcare, livelihood, and rural infrastructure development. The support from hundreds of locals for yet another coal block has validated RRVUNL's impactful CSR initiatives.

Thousands of villagers from Udaipur tehsil's Kente, Basen, Chakeri, Parogiya, and other nearby villages within a 10-km radius started arriving at 8 a.m. despite the rain to express their support for the public hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. The hearing lasted for seven hours.

Vijay Singh Porte, the Environmental Protection Board Regional Officer, Sarguja, and Sunil Kumar Nayak, the Additional District Magistrate, chaired the hearing.

Deputy Sarpanch of Parsa, Ganeshram Yadav, said: "With the help of the locals, RRVUNL has given a new identity to Sarguja by planting more than 12 lakh trees on the previously mined land of the PEKB Block, making it a model mine in the country. Rajasthan's power utility runs cost-free English medium schools, skill development centres, clinics, and ambulance services. We hope that RRVUNL will further promote these initiatives by opening the Kente Extension mine."

The villagers discussed issues of regional development, job management, and self-employment during the meeting. Officials and dignitaries expressed support for the Kente Extension Coal Block, believing it would bring new development and job opportunities to the area.

Supporting the Kete Extension, Trilochan Pekra from Chakeri village said: "This project will provide job and self-employment opportunities to the women and youth of our village in the backward region. RRVUNL's operations and CSR efforts have demonstrated that the Nigam will bring prosperity to the locals."

Urmila Pando from Basen village said: "Many women, including myself, have gained self-employment with the opening of the PEKB Mine. Today, the women in our group have become self-reliant through the women's cooperatives engaged in diversified business activities. Hence, I support the Kete Extension Project."

V.P. Garg, the Additional Chief Engineer of RRVUNL, provided information about the Chhattisgarh project. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Bansingh Netam, the Town Inspector of Udaipur Chandra Kumari, and Udaypur Block Tehsildas Chandrashila Jayswal were in attendance. Garg also expressed the Nigam’s commitment to continue the developmental initiatives.

At the public hearing, RRVUNL's Superintendent Engineer Ashok Prasad and Adani Enterprises Ltd's Sarguja Cluster Chief Manoj Kumar Shahi, were also present, among other officials.