BCCL CMD Reviews Katras Area Operations, Pushes for Higher Coal Production and Stronger Safety Measures
CMD Manoj Kumar Agrawal directs officials to raise AKWMC output from 1,200 TPD to 2,000 TPD within a month, expedite mine expansion, improve safety standards and strengthen monsoon preparedness
Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Manoj Kumar Agrawal conducted a comprehensive review of mining and operational activities in the company’s Katras Area on Friday, directing officials to accelerate production enhancement, strengthen safety standards and fast-track mine expansion projects.
The inspection was attended by Director (Technical–Projects & Planning) Rajiv Kumar Sinha, General Manager (Coordination), General Manager (Mining), General Manager (Safety), senior officials from CMPDIL, Regional General Managers and other senior officers.
The CMD began his visit at the AKWMC Colliery land patch, where he reviewed ongoing activities and instructed officials to expedite enclosure shifting and land acquisition. He also emphasized that mine lighting, roads and other infrastructure must strictly comply with prescribed safety standards.
Reviewing the current production of around 1,200 tonnes per day (TPD), Agrawal directed officials to increase output to the targeted 2,000 TPD within the next one month, while ensuring complete adherence to safety norms and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
During the inspection, the contractor’s representative informed the CMD that an additional excavator and eight dumpers would be deployed by July 8 to strengthen mining operations. The CMD directed officials to ensure the availability of all required machinery within one week so that production activities could be accelerated without delay.
Later, Agrawal inspected the departmental mining patch at AKWMC, where he reviewed ongoing works and stressed the need to maximize the utilization of departmental resources. He assured full support from the BCCL headquarters and instructed officials to complete all formalities related to mine expansion on a priority basis.
The CMD subsequently visited the Amalgamated Salanpur-Gajnitand-Katras-Chautidih (ASGKC) Colliery, where he inspected the recently commissioned revenue-sharing opencast mining project. Expressing dissatisfaction over the existing lighting arrangements and safety standards, he directed the concerned officials to rectify all deficiencies immediately and ensure strict compliance with prescribed safety norms.
During the visit, Agrawal also interacted with local residents to understand their concerns and assured them that all necessary statutory assistance would be provided in accordance with BCCL’s policies and provisions.
The inspection concluded with a comprehensive review meeting at the regional office, where the CMD assessed the progress of ongoing projects, coal production, safety measures, monsoon preparedness, infrastructure development and operational challenges. He directed officials to complete pending projects within the stipulated timeline, enhance production capacity, strengthen safe mining practices and improve overall operational efficiency.
The inspection reflects BCCL’s continued focus on increasing coal production, ensuring safe and efficient mining operations, strengthening infrastructure and maintaining seamless operations during the monsoon season.
