Chhattisgarh-based SECL speeds up process for employment to landowners

South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), the Chhattisgarh-based arm of state-run Coal India Limited (CIL), has accelerated the process of providing employment to land owners.

During the current financial year, SECL has provided employment approval to 337 landowners, a SECL spokesperson said.

Compared to the same period of the previous financial year, the company has registered an increase of 30 per cent in employment generation, he added.

With “Samvedansheel Prabandhan – Samvadsheel Prabandhan” (management through empathy and dialogue) at the core, the company is prioritising the interests of landowners. It has provided employment approval to about 1,748 landowners since April 2022, the spokesperson added.

In 2022-23, the company provided employment to 704 landowners, while in the previous financial year, 707 landowners were provided jobs, which is the highest figure in the last 10 years.

The spokesperson said Coal India had set a target of producing 1 billion tonnes of coal by the year 2026-27 and SECL would have to produce 250 million tonnes (MT).

For this, the current production capacity of the mines will have to be enhanced, for which timely acquisition of land is crucial, he added.

SECL is constantly striving to provide swift employment and proper settlement to the landowners by simplifying the process of land acquisition and employment.

The company has implemented a special rehabilitation and resettlement package at its mega projects Gevra, Dipka and Kusmunda, in which landowners are getting better compensation.

And, the company is starting to see this initiative bear fruit, the spokesperson said.

In the recently released list of the world's top 10 mines, SECL's Gevra and Kusmunda bagged second and fourth spot, respectively.

During the last financial year, Gevra recorded 59 MT of coal production and Kusmunda saw 50 MT.

Gevra has also received environmental clearance for 70 MT, which has paved the way for it to become the world's largest coal mine.