BS quoted Coal India Ltd has said the compensation cum-rehabilitation package for the state of Jharkhand worked out by the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute a subsidiary of CIL and would stand at around INR 7,800 crore.

The package, which is one of the largest packages worked out for rehabilitation and compensation by any public sector till date was hanging fire since 1999. It is set to be implemented over the next 10 years.

Mr NC Jha chairman and managing director, Coal India Ltd said the project had been approved by the government and that the fund was available for the program. He said that it was now necessary to explain the details of the package to the local people and to secure their approval, as well as that of the state government.

He said that the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority is in charge of relocating thousands of families who would have to vacate their homes in the mining town fire zones. They would be relocated to new houses, which were under construction.

According to the plan, the JRDA was scheduled to oversee relocation of the Jharia township which stands on an underground mine fire, raging for nearly a century. As many as 1.12 lakh families whose homes were in the danger zone faced subsidence and would have to be relocated.

Currently the state has coal resources to the tune of 5 billion tonne and 40% of this lies in inhabited area.

(Sourced from www.business-standard.com)