The Bengal government has decided to engage the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) to find out whether underground mining of coal is possible at Deocha-Pachami without shifting residents, as the state wants to avoid the time-consuming mass relocation.

The study is important because the state government is laying stress on underground mining on nearly 2,000 acres out of 3,500 acres at Deocha-Pachami in Birbhum district, where a coal mining project was proposed.

“The institute will submit a report to the state government pointing out whether it is possible to undertake underground mining without relocating people living in the project area.... The institute will prepare a detailed report on the strength of the rock layer and vulnerability of the rocks,” said a source aware of the development.

NIRM is an autonomous research institute headquartered at Bengaluru under the Union ministry of mines.

The institute has been chosen for the study as it deals with field and laboratory investigations and solves complex problems in almost the entire spectrum of rock mechanics and rock engineering related to mining and civil engineering activities.

“It is important to know whether the rock layer would cave in once coal, deposited under a layer of rock that is more than 500m thick, is extracted. If the reports suggest that underground mining is possible without relocating the inhabitants of the project area, the government will start underground mining soon,” said an official.

Sources said the government did not want to relocate the residents of the project area as it could be time-consuming, and the state wanted to kick off the project at
the earliest.

“This is the only project on which the government is banking heavily for the generation of jobs in the state, as other big-ticket investments eluded Bengal so far. So, the state wants to get this project commissioned as early as possible,” said an official.

A section of officials has said that since a section of residents of the area has put up stiff resistance against relocation, the government is weighing options so that the project could be initiated without hurting the local people’s sentiments.

“The government requires land to set up houses for relocating residents of the area. But the relocation process could take years. This is why the state wants to go for underground mining without disturbing the residents,” said another official.

The government has already made some progress in carrying out underground mining on 2,000 acres since it received a good response in the global tender that was floated in December last year for underground coal mining.

Two companies from Poland and four indigenous firms have shown interest in executing the project in Deocha-Pachami. “All agencies have qualified the technical bid, and their quotation for the financial bid will soon be opened,” said a source.

In Deocha-Pachami, the government has already started the initial process of open-cast mining on 376 acres. The state is also trying to initiate a coal gasification project on 1,000 acres.

“Out of the 1,200 lakh tons of coal reserve in Deocha-Pachami, about 400 lakh tons could be extracted through underground mining. This is why underground mining of coal in Deocha-Pachami is very important for the state,” said a source.