FULL TRANSCRIPT
I want to ask the Hon. Minister how many open cost projects had been outsourced by the ECL in the last three years, and what was the target of production in those OCPs. How many projects in coal mines are running behind their target production in the country?
Bengal today invited companies to invest in coal mining and exploration activities in the state as it highlighted huge opportunities in the sector.
“Deaocha Pachami coal block is the world’s second largest reserves with two billion tonnes and shared by six entities including Bengal. Along with that, Bengal has tied up with Kudurmukh for iron ore deposit exploration in the state,” state Finance Minister Dr Amit Mitra said.
Bengal has identified six granite prospective blocks and exploration has begun in three through competitive bidding, Dr Mitra said while addressing the IMME and Global Mining Summit 2016. He informed that mining would be carried out shortly in four blocks held by West Bengal Power Development Corporation. All these will offer huge investment opportunities and urged companies to take advantage of the same, he said.
At the same time, the minister said, mining activity should be socially responsible and done in dialogue with people where the projects would take off.
বুধবার কলকাতায় সিআইআইয়ের আইএমএমই অ্যান্ড গ্লোবাল মাইনিং সামিট ২০১৬-র অনুষ্ঠানে অংশগ্রহণ করেন অর্থমন্ত্রী অমিত মিত্র।
এ দিন পশ্চিমবঙ্গে খনি শিল্পে লগ্নি করতে বিনিয়োগকারীদের আহ্বান জানান রাজ্যের অর্থমন্ত্রী অমিত মিত্র।
তিনি জানান, রাজ্যে শিল্পের উপযুক্ত পরিবেশ তৈরি আছে। শিল্পপতিরা চাইলেই বিনিয়োগ করতে পারেন। বীরভূমে দেউচা-পাচামি কয়লা ব্লক দেশের দ্বিতীয় বৃহত্তম কয়লা খনি। এখানে প্রায় ২ বিলিয়ন টন মজুত করা যায়। পশ্চিমবঙ্গ-সহ ছ’টি রাজ্য কয়লা পাবে এই খনি থেকে।
তিনি আরও বলেন, ইতিমধ্যেই বাংলা ছয়টি গ্রানাইট ব্লক চিহ্নিত করেছে এবং তিনটিতে খনন কাজ শুরু হয়ে গেছে। তিনি আরও জানান, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বিদ্যুৎ উন্নয়ন নিগম খুব শীঘ্রই চারটি ব্লকের খনন কাজ সম্পন্ন করবে। এর ফলে বিনিয়োগের অনেক সুযোগ তৈরি হবে।
বুধবার কলকাতায় সিআইআইয়ের আইএমএমই অ্যান্ড গ্লোবাল মাইনিং সামিট ২০১৬-র অনুষ্ঠানে অংশগ্রহণ করেন অর্থমন্ত্রী অমিত মিত্র।
এ দিন পশ্চিমবঙ্গে খনি শিল্পে লগ্নি করতে বিনিয়োগকারীদের আহ্বান জানান রাজ্যের অর্থমন্ত্রী অমিত মিত্র।
তিনি জানান, রাজ্যে শিল্পের উপযুক্ত পরিবেশ তৈরি আছে। শিল্পপতিরা চাইলেই বিনিয়োগ করতে পারেন। বীরভূমে দেউচা-পাচামি কয়লা ব্লক দেশের দ্বিতীয় বৃহত্তম কয়লা খনি। এখানে প্রায় ২ বিলিয়ন টন মজুত করা যায়। পশ্চিমবঙ্গ-সহ ছ’টি রাজ্য কয়লা পাবে এই খনি থেকে।
তিনি আরও বলেন, ইতিমধ্যেই বাংলা ছয়টি গ্রানাইট ব্লক চিহ্নিত করেছে এবং তিনটিতে খনন কাজ শুরু হয়ে গেছে। তিনি আরও জানান, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ বিদ্যুৎ উন্নয়ন নিগম খুব শীঘ্রই চারটি ব্লকের খনন কাজ সম্পন্ন করবে। এর ফলে বিনিয়োগের অনেক সুযোগ তৈরি হবে।
West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the Deocha Pachami Dewanganj Harinsingha Coal Fields at Birbhum.
The Deocha Pachami Dewanganj Harinsingha Coal Fields is the largest Coal Block in the country with coal reserves of around 21000 million tonnes. An approximate investment to the tune of Rs 20,000 crores are being made into the project. The coal to be extracted is to be used for power generation.
It is expected that the project will provide direct and indirect investment to lakhs of people and will result in comprehensive development of the Coal Block area comprising a large population of people belling to Tribal and scheduled caste communities. There is also a commercial potential of basaltic overburden as a result of the project.
The project is a joint venture of the West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Limited and the Bengal Birbhum Coalfields Limited.
Highlights of her speech:
বীরভূমের দেউচা পাচামী দেওয়ানগঞ্জ হরিণশিঙ্গা কয়লাখনি প্রকল্পের উদ্বোধন করলেন মাননীয়া মুখ্যমন্ত্রী শ্রীমতী মমতা বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়।
দেউচা পাচামী দেওয়ানগঞ্জ হরিণশিঙ্গা কয়লাখনি হল দেশের বৃহত্তম কয়লাখনি। এখানে সঞ্চিত কয়লায় পরিমাণ ২১০ কোটি টন। এই প্রকল্পের আনুমানিক বিনিয়োগ প্রায় ২০,০০০ কোটি টাকা। উত্তোলিত কয়লা ব্যবহৃত হবে তাপবিদ্যুত কেন্দ্রে।
এই প্রকল্পের মাধ্যমে লক্ষাধিক প্রত্যক্ষ ও পরোক্ষ কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ প্রত্যাশিত। এছাড়াও আদিবাসী ও তপশিলিী অধ্যুষিত খনি এলাকার সামগ্রিক উন্নয়ন হবে। কয়লা স্তরের উপরিস্থিত কালো বাণিজ্যিক ব্যবহার হবে এই প্রকল্পে।
ওয়েস্ট বেঙ্গল মিনারেল ডেভলপমেন্ট অ্যান্ড ট্রেডিং কর্পোরেশন লিমিটেড ও বেঙ্গল বীরভূম কোলফিল্ডস লিমিটেডের যৌথ উদ্যোগে তৈরি হচ্ছে এই প্রকল্প।
মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর বক্তব্যের কিছু অংশঃ
The West Bengal Government has taken up a plan to revamp the state’s power infrastructure at an investment of Rs 4,000 crore over the next two years, State Power Minister Manish Gupta said on Wednesday.
West Bengal Power Development Corporation will appoint a mine developer and operator to start mining in five coal blocks, the Power Minister said while placing the power budget in the assembly.
State to start mining coal
The Centre allotted to WBPDCLsix coal blocks, including Tara (East & West), Barjora (North), Barjora, Gangaramchak, Gangaramchak-Bhadulia, Pachwara (North) and Kasta (East). Apart from this, the Deocha Pachami Deawanganj-Harisingha coal block has been allotted jointly to six states, including Bengal.
The minister said WBPDCL would receive 584 million tonnes of coals from the Deocha Pachami Deawanganj-Harisingha block. He also said that coal supply was not a cause of concern for the state government. “WBPDCL has a record coal stock of 9.29 lakh metric tonnes as on March 31, 2015”, said the minister.
Alternative sources of power
The department of Power and Non-Conventional Energy Sources is drawing up a draft document on Grid-connected Rooftop Solar Policy, which would be extended throughout the state in a phased manner, the Minister told the Assembly. The rooftop solar photovoltaic policy for the state was likely to be announced very shortly after former approval of the state cabinet, the Minister said.
The West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency already took up a project for installation of 10 kWp rooftop grid connected PV power plant with net metering arrangement at 100 government and government-aided schools statewide with 100 per cent funding from the state budget, he said.
The project would be extended to 500 schools altogether in phases, the minister said replying to a supplementary. The Minister further said that the WBREDA was also implementing an off-grid school electrification programme for another 100 schools in the Sundarbans.
Boost to power sector
The state government has also planned to set up a photovoltaic power plant to the proposed 1000MW Turga Pumped Storage in Ayodhya Hills in Purulia. “The project has got an in-principle approval from Centre,” the Minister said.
Steps have also been taken to upgrade various low voltage areas into high voltage ones, the Minister said. He said that in the last four years the power sector had witnessed improvement, thanks to several development schemes undertaken by his department.
The distribution infrastructure of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited had much improved in the last four years with the installation of 82 new 33/11KV sub-stations, besides HT line and Distribution Transformers (DTRs) etc, he said.
Starting from non-conventional energy resources, the state has already taken many projects to boost rural electrification and hydro-electric power generation programmes, the Minister said.
Derek O’Brien today spoke on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 in Rajya Sabha, where he said his party has taken the positive approach to the Bill.
Though the party supports the Bill in general but is concerned on certain issues of mining areas being environment friendly, implementing scientific methods for mining and setting up of regulatory mechanism for it.
Derek O’Brien also welcomed the idea of e-auction due to its transparency and gave the instance of West Bengal increasing revenues in the last three years by 87% through e-governance.
He supported the Mines & Minerals and Coal Bills but asked the Government to keep away from the Land Bill calling it a danger zone to step into.
Click here for the full speech of Derek O’Brien.
Sukhendu Sekhar Ray spoke on the Coal Mines Bill 2015. He gave constructive suggestions to the Bill. He asked the Government to make decisions in consultation with the state governments.
SS Ray said, “Consultation is a pre-condition of any liberal democracy, therefore I urge upon the Government to take the views of the state government in taking decisions in regard to allocation.”
He also suggested the Central Government to share a part of additional levy with the coal producing state and cited the Supreme Court Judgement dated 24 September, 2014.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said an investment of Rs 12,000 crore in a joint venture would be made to develop a coal block in the State’s Birbhum district, creating employment for a large number of people.
Briefing the media at the state secretariat, WB CM said Deocha-Pachami coal block in the state with a reserve of 2,200 million tonnes, which was allocated to six states and a CPSU by the Centre in 2013, would be developed in a joint venture.
“Development of this coal block under Md Bazar block in Birbhum district in a joint venture will expedite the development process in the entire area covering Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, Burdwan and Murshidabad districts,” Banerjee said.
State Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra said, “There will be direct investment of Rs 12,000 crore and indirect investment could be several times more. It will provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people.”
This coal block will provide coal to Sagardighi and Katwa for a period of 25 years. West Bengal Mineral Development and Trading Corporation Ltd will start the initial activities to carry out mining.
Besides creating employment opportunity, development of this coal block would also boost the industrial growth in the Purulia-Bankura-Asansol-Durgapur-Birbhum belt.
