G Kishan Reddy, the Union Minister of Coal and Mines, helped resolve a delay in handing over forest land for the Naini Coal mine in Odisha to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). The mine, with a production capacity of 10 Million Tonnes per year, was allocated to SCCL in 2015 for coal utilization in their thermal power plant. However, the mine faced delays in operationalization due to the delay in receiving Stage-II forest clearance.
After discussions with the government of Odisha, approval for handing over 643 Ha of forest land to SCCL was granted on July 4, 2024. G Kishan Reddy thanked Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi for quickly resolving the issue. It is now expected that SCCL will start production from the mine soon.
The resolution of this issue highlights the importance of cooperative federalism in addressing delays and obstacles in projects like the Naini Coal mine allocation. G Kishan Reddy’s efforts have ensured that the mine can be operationalized without further delays, benefiting both SCCL and the thermal power plant’s coal utilization.
