Posted on: Post Date – 11:10 PM, Sat – 11/19/22
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Pedapari: Many people never had the opportunity to set foot in a coal mine. Except in a handful of films or a few rare documentaries, the interior of the mine, which stretches down into the depths of the earth, is uncharted territory for most.
That will all change as the management of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) lays out plans to turn the mine into a tourist attraction.
For this purpose, SCCL has selected the closed seven LEP (Life Extension Project) mines in the Ramagundam-II area, which is very close to the residential areas of the Ramagundam Municipal Corporation.
The mine began in 1991 as part of the 7 Slopes project expansion and will close in November 2021. Of the 17 million tonnes target, 16.5 million tonnes of coal were mined from the mine which, by the way, will also be remembered that the most destructive accident in Singareni’s history occurred on June 16, 2003 when 17 miners died in the water. Died after pouring into the mine.
Following the directives of the Ministry of Coal, SCCL decided to turn the mine into a tourist attraction. To look into the matter, SCCL chairman and managing director N Sridhar has formed a company-level committee with five managing directors. Subhani, General Manager of R&D, was appointed as the convener of the committee.
In March this year, an enterprise-level technical team visited the mine. The team is also considering visiting the western coalfields of Nagpur, Dhanbad in Jharkhand and the central coalfields of Madhya Pradesh to study tourist mines developed there.
While a detailed project report has yet to be finalized, Singareni officials are planning to develop some facilities at the tourist mine. While the mine is much deeper, SCCL officials are considering allowing tourists into the one-kilometer-deep mine. In addition to the cafeteria, an air-conditioned hall and a projector will also be set up. In anticipation of students and children visiting the mine, company authorities also plan to screen a 10-minute documentary on the history of Singareni, officials said.
TSRTC, on the other hand, is considering a tour package linking the mine with a nearby pilgrimage center. TSRTC Managing Director VC Sajjanar, who visited the Coal Belt region last month, also discussed tour packages.
Speaking to Telangana Today, SCCL Director (Operations, People Management and Benefits) S Chandrashekhar said the project could take three to four months before more details can be finalized.
He said there will be a meeting with RTC officials on November 22 to further discuss the TSRTC tour package.
