Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday held a formal meeting with Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy at the Chief Minister’s Residential Office on Kanke Road in Ranchi. The meeting witnessed positive and constructive discussions between officials of the Jharkhand government, the Union Ministry of Coal, and subsidiary companies of Coal India Limited on strengthening the coal and mining sector in the state.
During the interaction, several critical issues related to coal mines in Jharkhand were deliberated upon. Chief Minister Hemant Soren presented the state government’s position on key matters, including the Jharia Master Plan, the Belagaria Township Project, compensation for government land, return of land where mining activities have been completed, review of pending cases, and the operation of new coal mining projects.
The Union Coal Minister, in turn, apprised the Chief Minister of challenges being faced in the implementation and operation of coal mining projects.
The Chief Minister stressed that effective coordination between the Centre and the state government is essential for resolving issues related to coal mines. He described the Jharia Master Plan and the Belagaria Township Project as crucial initiatives, stating that these projects aim to provide displaced families with a safe and dignified life.
Discussions were also held on the early appointment of a full-time CEO for the Jharia Master Plan to ensure smoother and faster implementation.
Focus on Coordination Between Centre and State for Coal and Mining Projects
In the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy, officials held detailed discussions on several important aspects, including mineral royalty, rehabilitation of displaced persons, employment and compensation, policy decisions related to land records on government land, review of pending issues, reconciliation work with support from the state government, return of land after completion of mining activities, control of accidents caused by illegal mining, employment opportunities for local residents in and around mining areas, resolution of operational hurdles in coal projects, and effective utilisation of CSR funds.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Jharkhand Chief Secretary Avinash Kumar, Private Secretary to the Union Coal Minister Pankaj Jain, Coal India Chairman B. Sairam, MoC Advisor B. Veera Reddy, Alok Singh, CMD CCL N.K. Singh, CMD BCCL Manoj Agarwal, CMPDIL’s Shiv Raj Singh, GM CCL S.K. Jha, along with other officials.
