Despite huge resentment from the local people against the mining activities in the Chendipada block of Angul district, the State Government recently decided to take up the proposed Angul-Talcher-Chhendipada Common Corridor Project in partnership with the Railways.
Located in Angul district, home to one of the country’s largest coal deposits, the proposed coal block contains an estimated 12 million tonnes of coal and a life of 48 years. The mineral lies beneath 7,500 acres of a thriving agrarian economy across nine villages. These are home to more than 10,000 people, whose education and relative prosperity put them in the rural middle class, with capabilities and resources to assert their rights.
The tract was marked out as the Machhakata Coal Block by the Ministry of Coal, one of several coal blocks created in this area, and was allotted in 2006 to MahaGuj Collieries Ltd, a public sector power company jointly formed by the Maharashtra and Gujarat state governments.
Click on this link for details about the protests reported on 11 September 2014 at the Chendipada block.
The proposed project discussed at a meeting at the Secretariat was presided over by Chief Secretary GC Pati and attended by officials of the railways and State Government.
The financial feasibility report of the 162 km common corridor project was also discussed. “It has been decided that the project will be taken up in partnership between the State Government and the Indian Railways,” Pati said and directed the officials to prepare a definite proposal for approval of the State Government.
The Rs 1,240 crore project which will be implemented by IDCO will require 6,200 acres of land. The corridor will cater to the transport requirement of 32 coal blocks in the area besides saving substantial amount as transportation expenditure. Official sources said the corridor will handle coal traffic in excess of 100 million tonnes a year. The corridor will be connected with the rail heads at Jharpada, Angul and Budhapanka. As many as 55 industries, including steel plants and power projects, would be benefited by the project.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of different railway projects in the State keeping in view Nabakalebar festival next year.
Pati asked the Collectors and SPs of districts concerned to provide required assistance in distribution of compensation and ground-level operations.
The projects included doubling of Delang-Puri, Khurda-Barang (3rd line), Cuttack-Barang, Raja Athagarh-Barang, Titilagarh-Raipur, Sambalpur-Titilagarh, Sambalpur-Talcher and Bansapani-Tomka-Jakhapura rail lines. Budget allocations have been made against all these projects during 2014-15. As per the decision taken at the meeting, the antisocial elements creating bottlenecks in implementation of the projects would be strongly dealt with.
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