SCCL fast tracks Rs.620 cr rail line

In its quest to commission the rail line in the area, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. has recently released the first installment of Rs.50 crore for construction of the Rs.620 crore Kothagudem-Sathupally railway line, CMD, N Sridhar said that the company has requested for the completion of the railway line before starting the opencast mine project at Kistaram (Sathupally) in 2019. While the Railway Board had accorded permission for construction of the Kothagudem-Sathupally broadgauge railway line, Singareni has agreed to bear the construction cost for the 53.2 km railway line. Land acquisition is under way and tenders have been called for the construction of a few bridges. The Railways requested Singareni to facilitate acquisition of forest and private lands and secure permissions from the government. The project will be completed within two years from the date of completion of land acquisition, said an industry insider, claiming that the completion of this railway line will enable transport coal from Sathupally to Kothagudem in an environment-friendly way. The present production and transport from JVR OC mines is 55 lakh tonnes of coal a year. It will be 100 lakh tonnes shortly and will need rail line to transport coal for thermal power stations, he said.