Coal & Lignite public sector undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Coal have established 16 eco-parks during the last 5 years in and around coal mining areas to promote environmental regeneration as well as tourism and recreational activities, Minister of Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.To increase green cover in and around coalfields, Coal India Limited (CIL), NLC India Limited (NLCIL) and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) have created a green cover of 10,942 hectares as part of their plantation and bio-reclamation efforts in and around coal and lignite mining areas, the minister said.
The PSUs have adopted innovative techniques in addition to traditional methods of plantation. These include three-tier plantations, seed ball plantation, Miyawaki plantation, high-tech cultivation, bamboo plantation, and plantation on overburden dumps using drip irrigation, he explained.