Coal reserves found in Tripura

AGARTALA - The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found huge coal reserves in the northeastern state of Tripura, officials said here Monday.

“We have found coal reserves of sub-bitumen grade (in the third layer of the earth) in five locations of Tripura,” GSI Tripura-Mizoram region director T. Rajakumar told IANS.

He said the sample of the coal has been sent to the Coal India laboratory in Kolkata for testing. “We are expecting the laboratory testing report of the collected sample within a month,” the official said.

“After a detailed study and survey, the coal reserves were found in two locations of Khowai in western Tripura and three locations of Ambassa in northern Tripura’s Dhalai district,” Rajakumar said.

GSI scientists, headed by Rajakumar, conducted survey in the villages of Khowai sub-division bordering Bangladesh and mountainous Ambassa sub-division in Dhalai district, for several weeks following the report of coal findings from the locals.

“The villagers used to collect the coal and sell it to local brick kilns,” another GSI official said.

GSI officials projected that geological feature of east and west foothills of Baramura, Autharamura and Longtharai, the three major hills of Tripura, would be the potential spots for coal mining in the near future.

“We have also found some indications of coal in neighbouring Mizoram, bordering Myanmar, but a detail study is required to identify the reserves of the black gold,” Rajakumar added.

After findings of huge natural gas reserves in Tripura, the coal reserves detection is a major breakthrough in the industry-starved northeastern state.