Bengal allots coal block located in aerotropolis project area

Kolkata: West Bengal is facing a toss-up between industrialisation and utilising its coal reserves. The latest case in point is a coal block allocated to a consortium comprising ACC, Uttam Galva Steels and three other Kolkata-based companies. The block happens to be in the project site of the greenfield airport city, Bengal Aerotropolis.
The state government has conveyed to the consortium, which has been allotted the Moira-Madhujore coal block with reserves of 685 million tonnes, that the top soil will have some construction. The concerned companies promptly approached the coal ministry.
Uttam Galva sources said: “We are protesting and have written to the coal ministry.” Sources in Adhunik Corporation, a part of the consortium, said a lot of the coal would be lost if the Bengal Aerotropolis project was not realigned.
“After all, that is a real estate venture and natural resources should not be sacrificed for the project. We have taken it up with the coal ministry. Let the Central government take it up with the state,” sources said.
Early last year, the airport city project being developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) — which is 26 per cent owned by Singapore’s Changi Airports International — was shrunk 400 acres and shifted eastwards to free some coal reserves of the Coal India subsidiary, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL). The state government signed a settlement with Coal India that offset its coal reserves for the Bengal Aerotropolis project because it was infringing into ECL’s licensed area.
BAPL CEO Subrata Paul said he was unaware of the location of the Moira-Madhujore block.
14/01/10 Ishita Ayan Dutt/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010, New Jan 2010