MCL to invest Rs.9000 crore on railway infrastructure- Joshi
Talcher/UNI: Mahanadi Coalfields Limited( MCL) will invest more than Rs 9,000 crore for creation of railway infrastructure for seamless transportation of coal from across MCL mines, Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said today.
Making the announcement here, Mr Joshi said the investment will be made on the modernisation of Jharsuguda railway station, doubling of Saradega-Barpali-Jharsuguda railway line, construction of double-leg flyover, besides construction of 204 km-long rail network in Talcher under two phases of construction.
The Union Minister who sought the cooperation of all the stakeholders on increasing coal production for the nation also announced a 300 per cent hike in ex-gratia amount for fatal coal mines accidents.
MCL sources said Mr Joshi also announced to increase the ex gratia amount from the existing Rs five lakh to Rs 15 lakh, a welfare measure which will cover over 3.5 lakh families of miners working under Coal India and its subsidiaries in eight states of the country.
Paying tributes to the coal miners who had laid their lives in mine accidents, Mr Joshi said, “I announce enhancement in ex-gratia from Rs five lakh to Rs 15 lakh for the coal workers, both permanent as well as the contractors, in case of a fatal mine accident.’’
Earlier, the Union Minister undertook an aerial survey and inspection of mining operations of Talcher Coalfields in Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), Odisha and addressed the villagers and coal miners after laying the foundation stone of MCL DAV School, Lingaraj Area, in Talcher coalfields.
The Union government, he said is committed to uplift the standard of living of common man and working to create more jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for the youths’’.
He also announced that Mahanadi Coal Field, which has given over 16,000 permanent jobs in lieu of land since its inception, will offer employment to more than 4000 land oustees in Odisha by the financial year 2024-25.
Mr Joshi further said MCL will run Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) in the peripheral villages of its operational areas to provide free healthcare at the doorstep of the needy people.
Coal India Chairman A. K. Jha and MCL CMD B. N. Shukla were also present on the occasion along with other dignitaries.
MCL, which had produced a record 144 million tonnes of coal in the last financial year (2018-19,) is the second biggest subsidiary of state-run “maharatna” company Coal India and contributes about 25 per cent to its total coal production.
In the current fiscal, MCL has targeted to produce 160 million tonnes of coal out of 660 million tonnes of Coal India’s target.
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