New Delhi: The Ministry of Coal is continuously coordinating with coal CPSEs to promote large-scale plantation on decoaled land, overburden dumps and non-coal-bearing land. As per the latest assessment, during this financial year, coal companies have completed plantation on 2,338 hectares of land, planting over 43 lakh saplings, said the Coal Ministry in an official statement on Saturday. In the last five years, a total of 10,000 hectares of area have been brought under plantation, using over 2.24 crore saplings.
Prime Minister Narenda Modi has lauded the efforts of coal companies for reclamation of decoaled land through the development of eco-parks, while inaugurating the Chhattisgarh East Rail Corridor dedicated to environmentally sustainable evacuation of coal.
Coal companies are undertaking mission-mode efforts for bio-reclamation of available land. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has promoted such plantations to be counted for the requirement of “compensatory afforestation.” Accordingly, all coal companies have submitted proposals to the respective State Forest Department for notification of about 2,800 hectares of decoaled afforested land for notification as “Accredited Compensatory Afforestation Area.” This ACA area would be counted towards future requirements of diversion of coal-bearing forest land for taking up further coal mining activities.
All coal subsidiaries have dedicated cells for the promotion of bio-reclamation/plantation. The Coal Ministry has accorded the highest priority to environmentally sustainable measures to ensure a just transition in the coal producing areas, said the statement.
