On December 23, N Sridhar, chairman and chairman of SingareniCollieries Company Ltd., said that in the next five years, the company plans tobuild 12 new coal mines to achieve an annual coal output of 100 million tons.And plans to carry out coal business in other states of India.

Sridhar said that the new Garrini plans to expand the coalmining projects in Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and the company has now obtainedsix permits issued by the two state governments. A coal mine in Orissa will befully operational in the next two years, while another coal mine will becommissioned within two months. The New Garrini Company supplies coal to atotal of 2,000 industries in four Indian states. He also said that the companyis operating well in the power generation field. The company's thermal powerplant has a generating capacity of 1,200 megawatts and said it will build a 300megawatt solar power plant.

Referring to the proposed construction of the proposedrailway line connecting the Badracharam Highway and Satu Pari, Sridhar saidthat the railway will be built in the next two years at a cost of Rs 7.1billion. The company will bear the cost of the project of 6.1 billion rupees,and the project has already started the land acquisition process. Sridharstressed the importance of zero accident rate in the company's coal mines andsaid that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure the safety of workers.“The company has embarked on introducing Australian technology to improvesafety standards,” Sridhar said, adding that the company is considering landuse issues for officials and employees’ homes.