SECL's Gevra mine to be largest coal producing mine in Asia: Coal secretary

'It (Gevra mine) is currently being expanded to achieve 70 MT of production,' the minister said

The government is scaling up the annual production of SECL's Gevra coal mine to 70 MT making it the largest, coal secretary Amrit Lal Meena said.

Gevra project of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) in Chhattisgarh recently became the first mine in the country to achieve 50 MT of coal production, the official said in a review meeting with the state-owned miner on Saturday.

Without sharing any timeline, Meena said, "It (Gevra mine) is currently being expanded to achieve 70 MT of production which would make it the largest coal-producing mine in Asia", according to a coal ministry statement.

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The secretary was on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh.

Along with officials of South East Central Railway (SECR) at SECL headquarters in Bilaspur, Meena reviewed the rail projects of Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited (CERL) and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Limited (CEWRL).

He inaugurated 'Chhal' rail siding in SECL, Raigarh area and also took stock of the progress of two rail corridors being developed on a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model in the state.

Under the PM Gati Shakti national master plan, the infrastructure required for the transportation of coal is being developed in the country and the new rail corridor will prove to be a milestone in this regard.