Senior Advisor, Ministry of Coal, Reviews Relief Measures at Kenduadih Gas-Affected Area, JMP Progress Assessed at Coal Bhawan
Commending BCCL’s operational performance, he said that as the country’s largest coking coal producer, the company must continue striving for sustained operational excellence
B. Veera Reddy, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Coal, today visited the gas-affected Kenduadih area in Dhanbad to assess the ongoing relief, rehabilitation and safety measures being implemented by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) under the Revised Jharia Master Plan (JMP).
During the visit, Reddy inspected the ongoing drilling operations in the gas-affected zone and reviewed the progress of nitrogen flushing activities aimed at controlling gas emissions. He interacted with experts from premier scientific institutions and obtained a detailed briefing on monitoring mechanisms and mitigation measures.
Reddy held discussions with Chief Scientist, PMRC, N. Sahay; Dr. S.K. Rai of SIMFAR; J. Pandey; and experts from IIT (ISM) and other scientific institutions present at the site. The interactions focused on gas monitoring methods, safety protocols and scientific interventions being deployed to stabilise the affected area.
BCCL, Shri Manoj Kumar Agarwal; Director (Human Resources), Murali Krishna Ramaiah; Director (Technical–Operations), Sanjay Kumar Singh; Regional General Manager, J.K. Mehta; General Manager (Headquarters) and other senior officials and staff were present during the site visit.
Following the inspection, Reddy chaired a comprehensive review meeting at Coal Bhawan, Dhanbad, to evaluate the progress of major development projects being undertaken by BCCL and the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA) under the Revised Jharia Master Plan. The meeting also reviewed BCCL’s operational performance, quality initiatives and progress across key projects.
Addressing the meeting, Reddy said that the Jharia Master Plan is among the priority projects of the Government of India and is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Coal. He noted that drilling, nitrogen flushing and other relief measures are being carried out under the supervision of scientific institutions and experts to normalise the situation in the Kenduadih area. He added that the government remains committed to extending all possible assistance and prompt relief to gas-affected families.
Commending BCCL’s operational performance, he said that as the country’s largest coking coal producer, the company must continue striving for sustained operational excellence.
In his welcome address, CMD BCCL Manoj Kumar Agarwal stated that the company, under the guidance of scientific institutions and experts, is making continuous efforts to stabilise the Kenduadih area. He highlighted that despite excessive rainfall during the year, BCCL has been working relentlessly to maintain operational efficiency and is accelerating production in the remaining quarter to achieve its targets. He reiterated BCCL’s commitment to excellence in production, quality and safety.
During the meeting, Director (Technical–Operations) Sanjay Kumar Singh presented a detailed overview of BCCL’s initiatives under the JMP through a PowerPoint presentation. He outlined short-term, medium-term and long-term measures, including recent achievements in skill development, rehabilitation of affected families, employment generation and other socio-economic initiatives.
General Manager (JMP) Rajeev Chopra, General Manager (Safety) S.K. Singh, other General Managers from Headquarters, and senior officials from JRDA and JMP were also present at the meeting.
