The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), which is lagging behind in coal production and unable to meet the growing demand in the power sector, is all set to open Asia’s biggest long wall project called Adriyala shaft project at Open Cast Project (OCP)-2 in the Ramagundam region of Karimnagar district during this month.
The Adriyala shaft project in OCP-2 , involving an investment of Rs. 846 crore, is the biggest project of Singareni. The project will utilise underground shaft (long wall) mining technology to flush out coal from the underground mine to the surface. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia had provided technical support for the project.
The Adriyala coal project will be taken up in the OCP-2 mine area (which is already two km deep) and take up coal excavation below two-km-depth with the help of machinery and skilled manpower. This project is likely to provide employment to around 850 skilled workers, who were replaced from other closed underground mines.
The authorities estimated the coal reserves beneath the OCP-2 at 54.36 million tonnes. Through the long wall coal project, the authorities plan to produce 2.817 million tonnes of coal per annum. The production cost is estimated at Rs. 863 per tonne of coal.
K. Mallaiah, leader of Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TGBKS), the recognised trade union of Singareni, said that the Adriyala coal project is latest and unique as it was being taken up in the OCP. Usually, there are two types of mines -- underground and open cast project (OCP). But, the Adriyala coal project will excavate coal from the OCP at a great depth.
“The project poses several safety problems to the miners as there would no proper ventilation at a depth of 4 km where they are required to work. There is also possibility of roof collapse due to external pressure on the surface,” he said and added that the opening of the mine had not provided any new employment but relocated the miners from the underground mines which were closed.
The management is contemplating announcing incentives to the coal miners to increase coal production from January 2015 onwards to increase the production and meet the requirements of the thermal power stations for the coming summer season.
