The Ministry of Coal has taken up 67 first mile connectivity (FMC) projects with a capacity to load 885 million tonne coal per annum.
The ministry on Friday (5 May) said that it has taken up the FMC projects for Coal India Limited, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), and NLC India Limited (NCLIL).
In a statement on Friday (5 May), the Coal ministry said that these 67 FMC projects (59 CIL, five SCCL and 3 NLCIL) will be completed by 2027.
“In order to eliminate road transportation of coal in mines, the Ministry has developed a plan to improve the mechanized coal transportation and loading system under FMC project,” the Coal Ministry said.
The Ministry is working on the development of National Coal Logistic Plan including First Mile Connectivity through railway sidings near coal mines and strengthening of rail network in coalfields.
The FMC projects, as per the ministry, will enable reduced manual intervention, precise pre-weighed quantity, quicker loading, and better coal quality.
According to the ministry, installation of coal handling plants (CHPs) and silos with rapid loading systems as part of these projects will bring benefits like coal crushing and sizing and efficient coal loading using computer-aided systems.
Further, rakes and wagons will be more readily available if loading times are reduced, the ministry said, adding that less traffic on the roads will result in less pollution and diesel consumption.
The Ministry of Coal has set a target to generate 1.3 billion tonne coal in FY25 and 1.5 billion tonne in FY30 in order to increase India’s energy security and realise ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ by substituting domestically mined coal for imported coal.