New Delhi, Feb 22 (PTI) The government on Saturday said eight first mile connectivity projects of Coal India arm South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) having a capacity of 82 million tonnes (MT) per annum are under various phases of development.

The company has set a target to commission these projects in the next 2-3 years.

Also Read | PM Kisan 19th Instalment Release Date Confirmed As February 24: How To Check Beneficiary Status Online and Complete eKYC for PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects connect coal mines to transportation hubs such as railways and highways. FMC is widely recognised as efficient and eco-friendly coal transportation mode.

The PSU has undertaken 17 FMC projects with a cumulative capacity of 233 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). Out of these, nine projects with a total capacity of 151 MTPA have already been commissioned, the coal ministry said in a statement.

Also Read | Famous Birthdays on February 22: George Washington, Nam Joo-hyuk, Niki Lauda and Steve Irwin - Know About Influential Figures Born on February 22.

SECL's Dipka Megaproject has begun operations by loading the first coal rake from its newly built Rapid Loading System and silos 3 and 4 on Friday, the statement said.

Before the commissioning of the new silo, Dipka relied on a merry-go-round dispatch system with a capacity of 15 MTPA.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)