Nagpur :- The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) held a public hearing for the Gondkhari Underground Coal Mine’s environmental clearance today. MPCB received favourable submissions from the locals from the surrounding eight villages – Gondkhairi, Kalambi, Pendhari, Surabardi, Nanda, Karli, Alesur, and Waddhamna of Kalmeshwar tehsil. The Board also recorded the concerns raised by the local leaders.
The public hearing was chaired by Subhash N Chaudhri, Resident Deputy Collector, Nagpur, Hema Deshpande, Regional Officer of MPCB and convened by Rajendra U Patil, Sub-Regional Officer of MPCB. The officials placed the relevant documents on record to explain the project features such mine capacity, potential investment, and job opportunities among others. In the run up to the public hearing, MPCB distributed the copies of Environment Impact Report and its summary in Marathi also, as per the provisions of the regulatory provisions.
The Gondkhari Mine spans across 862 hectares and is projected to generate a total of two million tonnes of coal each year over the course of its 30-year lifespan. However, only a small portion of this land, specifically 18 hectares, will be utilised for the development and operation of the underground mine. Hence, there will be minimal impact of the mine in the region. Adani Power will be implementing advanced, mechanised longwall technology for the underground mining process.
Adani Power Limited won the mine in a 2021 auction held by the Ministry of Coal and applied for environmental clearance.
