Kuju Area
Kuju Area is one of the operational areas of the Central Coalfields Limited located mainly in the Ramgarh district in the state of Jharkhand, India.
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Kuju Area Location in Jharkhand  Kuju Area Kuju Area (India) | |
| Location | West Bokaro Coalfield |
| Coordinates | 23.7203°N 85.5028°E |
| Owner | |
| Company | Central Coalfields Limited |
| Website | centralcoalfields |
The projects of the Kuju Area are: Saruberia underground, Saruberia opencast, Ara open cast, Kuju underground, Topa underground, Topa open cast, Pindra underground, Pindra open cast, Pundi open cast, Karma opencast.The area office is at Hesagarha, Kuju 825316.[1]
Mining activity
| Collieries in the CCL Kuju Area (West Bokaro Coalfield) U: Undergroud colliery, O: Open Cast colliery, M: Mixed colliery, W: Washery, S: Facility, A: Administrative headquarters, CT: census town Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly |
Mines and projects
Mourpa, Kuju, Hesagora and Banwar collieries were regrouped in 1973 after nationalisation of the coal industry in a single unit named Kuju colliery. Mining was carried out in a number of sections by underground and opencast systems. In 2016-17 the total production from the mine was 5,526 tonnes. As of 2017, all underground mines were closed. As of 31/3/2017, the total mineable reserve in 5 seams (XIII, XII, XI,XA, X) was 9.03 million tonnes. The Kuju opencast project has been planned for a nominal production capacity of 1.30 million tonnes per year of coal and peak production 1.50 million tonnes of coal. The project will sustain a quarry life of eight years. Feasibility of extracting coal up to 140 metres (460 ft) depth including developed area of underground workings by opencast method is studied and it is found technically feasible to convert the underground mine to opencast mine up to seam X.[2]
The Karma opencast project will have, as in 2010, a normal production of 1.0 million tonnes per year and a peak production of 1.2 million tonnes per year. The life of the project was estimated to be 26 years. The project is located on the bank of the Damodar River and a protective embankment was planned.[3]
Illegal mining activities
According to the Report on Prevention of Illegal Coal Mining and Theft, “The main source of illegal mining of coal and theft is abandoned mines. After economic extraction is over, the remaining coal in an abandoned mine is stolen by coal mafias, villagers leading to roof falling, water flooding, poisonous gas leaking, leading to the death of many labourers.” In the Kuju Area of CCL illegal mining activities are taking place in Pindra, Topa, Ara and Saruberia non-working mines, and Kuju-Morpa, Banwar, Pundri non-working quarries. Illegal mining also takes place in the fringe areas and outside the leasehold areas of CCL.[4]
References
- "Central Coalfields Limited". Areas - Kuju. CCL. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- "Mining Plan for Kuju OCP" (PDF). CMPDI. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- "Minutes of 4th Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) (Thermal & Coal Mining) Meeting Held on 39th-31st August 2010". Ministry of Coal. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- "Report – Prevention of Illegal Coal Mining and Theft" (PDF). Pages 3, 39. Standing Committee on Coal & Steel, 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2020.