New Delhi: A review meeting was chaired by Additional Coal Secretary M Nagaraju to assess the progress of First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects of coal companies. “Ministry of Coal has taken up 67 FMC projects (59 – CIL, 5- SCCL & 3 – NLCIL) with a capacity to load 885 MT coal per annum. These projects will be completed by 2027,” said a statement released by the Ministry of Coal on Friday.

“In order to eliminate road transportation of coal in mines, the Ministry of Coal has developed a plan to improve the mechanised coal transportation and loading system under FMC project. Crushing, coal size, and quick computer-assisted loading are advantages of Coal Handling Plants (CHPs) and SILOs with Rapid Loading Systems,” said the statement.

Mechanised coal transportation will reduce manual intervention, reduce pollution

The mechanised coal transportation system will reduce manual intervention, ensure precise pre-weighed quantity, quicker loading, and better coal quality. Rakes and wagons will be more readily available if loading times are reduced. It will also help reduce pollution in comparison to transportation by road as less traffic on the roads means less pollution and diesel consumption.

“The Ministry of Coal has set a target to produce 1.3 billion tonnes of coal in FY25 and 1.5 BT in FY30 in order to increase India’s energy security and realise Atmanirbhar Bharat by substituting domestically mined coal for imported coal. A key objective is the development of environmentally friendly, quick, and cost-effective coal transportation,” said the ministry.

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