With power generation in India largely depending on fossil fuels, coal remains a major source of energy for the country. But now the Indian government, which hopes to hike production of coal, is also keen on digging out revenue from coal tourism. For this purpose eight eco-parks have already been set up with two more in the pipeline.
These parks have been developed on reclaimed land, and NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) has signed an agreement with Pondicherry Tourism to promote eco-tourism at mines, which includes highlighting sustainable mining.
Coal tourism pacts have also been inked between Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) and Madhya Pradesh Tourism, as well as WCL and Maharashtra's Directorate of Tourism.
State-owned firms have also planted around 47 lakh saplings on 2300 hectares of land between January to November this year, as part of a sustainable coal mining drive.
