The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) may review on Wednesday the progress of three rail projects which are critical for transporting coal from Coal India limited (CIl) mines located in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
"The CCI may review the progress of the three rail projects including Tori-Shivpur-Kathotia in a meeting likely on Wednesday," sources said, adding that the environmental hurdles are holding up the implementation of the rail projects. The railways lines include Tori-Shivpur-Kathotia (Hazaribagh) BG triple line for the North Karanpura coalfield (CCl Jharkhand) and Jharsuguda-Barpali BG double line for IB Valley coalfield (MCl, Odisha).
These projects are getting delayed mainly due to forest and land acquisition issue. The Govt had earlier said that two rail projects, including Tori-Shivpur, are likely to be completed by the end of 2017 and will facilitate coal evacuation, besides pushing up the fuel production.
The third link, Mand-Raigarh Phase-I in Chhattisgarh, is expected to be completed in the beginning of the next Five Year Plan period, Minister of State for Coal Pratik Prakashbapu Patil had assured lok Sabha. "Commissioning of rail projects would facilitate coal evacuation from ongoing and future projects and thus help in increasing production and supply of coal from these coalfields," Minister had said.