CIL to shut 60 mines

Coal India Ltd (CIL) has identified 60 underground mines across the country as unviable and fit for immediate closure.

These mines reportedly result in losses amounting to over Rs 1,000 crore annually. There are around 290 underground mines in the country.

CIL has identified as many as 254 mines as loss-making, incurring losses of Rs 3,084 crore. The company will redeploy the 41,000-strong staff working in the 60 mines to other viable mines in the existing or adjoining coalfields. There would be no retrenchment or declaration of the staff as surplus.

A top CIL official said: "The question of retrenchment does not arise. CIL will try to turn around all loss-making mines and redeploy the human resources."

The matter was discussed at the meeting of apex joint consultative committee (JCC) of the CIL officials and the all-India trade unions BMS, Citu, Intuc, Aituc and TUCC in Kolkata on November 3.

Of the 60 loss-making mines, Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) has 29 mines, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) 21 mines, Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) four mines, North-Eastern Coalfields Limited (NECL) three mines, Western Coalfields (WCL) two mines and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) only one mine.