The Ministry of Coal will be taking up additional 19 first mile connectivity (FMC) projects for Coal India Limited (CIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) with a capacity of 330 million tonnes (mt). These projects will be implemented by 2026-27.
The Ministry of Coal has already undertaken 52 FMC projects (44 – CIL, 5 –SCCL and 3 – NLC India Limited) of 526 mt per annum (mtpa) capacity with an investment of Rs 180 billion. Out of which eight projects (6-CIL and 2-SCCL) of 95.5 mtpa capacity have been commissioned and the remaining will be commissioned by 2024-25. To ensure efficient and environ-friendly coal evacuation in future, the ministry is working on the development of National Coal Logistic Plan including FMC through railway sidings near coal mines and strengthening of rail network in coalfields. The Ministry of Coal has set a target to produce 1.31 billion tonne (bt) coal by 2024-25 and 1.5 bt in 2029-30. In this context, development of coal transportation that is cost efficient, fast and environmental friendly manner is important.