The Ministry of Coal on Tuesday launched a project information and management module of its Single-Window Clearance System (SWCS).
Launching the new IT-enabled facility, Dr Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary, Coal, said that it is an innovative endeavour of the Ministry to create a platform to obtain various clearances for operationalisation of coal mines in the country.
He called upon the officials to organise interactive sessions in order to make the new facility familiar to all stakeholders.
Various statutory provisions viz. approval of mining plan and mine closure plan, grant of mining lease, environment and forest clearances, wildlife clearance, safety, rehabilitation of project-affected families, welfare of workers etc. are prerequisites for starting a coal mine.
These clearances are being granted by various Central Ministries and State Government departments/agencies. Some of the clearances have their online portals; still most of the clearances are being given through offline mode.
The project proponents are required to approach different administrative ministries and Government departments separately to apply for the requisite clearances leading to delay in operationalisation of coal mines.
As part of the decision to digitise the clearances, the Ministry conceptualised the system, through which a project proponent can apply for requisite clearances with a single registration interface.
The portal is proposed to map applications and their respective process flows for grant of all the statutory clearances required (covering central ministries as well as state government departments/agencies) for starting of a coal mine.
The unified platform of SWCS includes already operational module for approval of mining plan and mine closure plan in a time-bound manner and integration with Parivesh Portal, digital acceptance of objection under Section 8 (1) of Coal Bearing Areas (Acquisition & Development) Act, 1957, Consent Management System of Telangana & West Bengal.
One of the major features of the module is the management of bank guarantee, upfront payment, major clearances, show-cause notices and court cases.
