Rourkela, Dec. 4: A senior mining official urged the industry fraternity and stakeholders to wake up to the importance of sustainable mining practices and implement them.

K. Ranu, general manager, underground mining, at South Eastern Coalfield Limited said such practices were necessary so that mining can be sustained while taking into account the interests of the stakeholders as well as the environmental impact.

"We have deep respect for nature and it is our priority while initiating mining activities," Ranu said during the two-day seminar on sustainable mining practices organised by the department of mining engineering of National Institute of Technology, Rourkela. More than 50 delegates took part in the seminar, including professors from IIT Kharagpur, ISM Dhanbad and BIT Mesra.

Ranu elaborated on the measures taken for the stakeholders in the nearby regions during mining practices. Talking about reclamation and rehabilitation practices, he said: "Sustainable mining practices have two important segments. You have to reclaim mined land and make it nature friendly and at the same time take care of the rehabilitation of displaced persons."

He also emphasised the need for training of stakeholders on sustainable mining practices.

A senior faculty member of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, B.B. Shastry, shared his thoughts on increasing awareness on sustainable mining practices.

"We simply cannot neglect the awareness regarding sustainable mining practices," Shastry said. He said absence of sustainable mining practices would impact the mining community and also those in the close vicinity of mines.

"India is not lagging behind in sustainable mining practices, but we need to create more awareness among immediate stakeholders so that there is no restriction on mining activities," Shastry said.

NIT Rourkela director Animesh Biswas thanked the department of mining engineering for organising the national-level seminar.