 "Odisha okays land buying for Rs 8,000-cr coal corridor")
The development of the 143-km corridor, with a capacity to handle coal in excess of 100 million tonne annually, will benefit more than 50 industries in sectors like steel, aluminium and power.
The land for this coal corridor will be acquired in 16 villages under Chhendipada tehsil in Angul district. The administrative approval has been accorded for acquisition of private land totaling to 558.30 acres and alienation of 276.37 acres of government land.
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Initially, the coal corridor was to be developed as a 50:50 joint venture between Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) and state controlled miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). Later, Idco decided to go on its own after OMC expressed unwillingness to implement the project.
The common corridor will support 10 blocks operating in the Talcher coalfields under the command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Ltd (CIL).
The proposed corridor will be connected to rail heads at three locations – Jharpada, Angul and Budhapanka. The common corridor will have multiple entry and exit points and no surface crossing. Besides, flyovers have also been proposed to avoid cross movements at junction stations.
The project is designed to have multi-point centralised loading stations conceived along the corridor rather than individual bulb connections with a view to avoid interference or wastage of coal bearing areas. Road and water pipe alignment will run parallel to rail alignment.
It may be noted a number of power and steel companies, which have been allotted coal blocks in the area, are facing resistance with regard to land acquisition for construction of private railway sidings. The construction of a common corridor is expected to overcome the problem.
A similar corridor is also being considered for the Ib valley region.