The lack of professionalism in mining impacted our industry to the extent that limited equipment got deployed/purchased. However with the passage of time, Hydraulic Excavators greater than 20 Ton and 30 Ton, Wheel loaders 250-300 hp and > 500 hp; Motor Graders 200-300 hp, Dumpers > 60 Ton, Crawler dozers above 250 hp and 300 hp are being used for over burden removal, waste material removal, dozing and grading of the mined area.
Just to add that in stone, marble and granite mines, cranes and backhoe loaders are also put to use. However, these mines are far from being fully mechanized.
In spite of having a huge coal reserve (about 3000 billion tonnes) some companies in India are importing coal. More than 90%of the coal produced in India is by Govt owned companies, CIL accounts for 80-82%. Private companies have own mines for captive use like steel, cement, fertilizer & Power.
The Indian iron ore industry, once the third largest exporter, is barely able to fulfill domestic demand.
In the 12th Five year plan, the govt investment in mining sector has gone up by 79% over the previous period. This will provide fresh impetus to domestic mining sector. This is one sector that promises a decent growth for all types of equipment till 2020, as the processes, methods & techniques improve.
