Coal India to phase out mining equipment imports

New Delhi: State-owned CIL, which has imported high-capacity mining equipment worth Rs 3,500 crore in the past five years, has drawn up a plan to phase out such inbound shipments over the next six years, the government said on Thursday.

The move aims to encourage and develop domestically manufactured equipment, it said. “Currently, Coal India Ltd (CIL) imports high-capacity equipment, such as electric rope shovels, hydraulic shovels, dumpers, crawler dozers, drills, motor graders, and front-end loaders wheel dozer, valued at Rs 3,500 crore, incurring additional expenses of Rs 1,000 crore in customs duty,” the coal ministry said in a statement. These equipment were imported over the past five years. To curb these imports and boost domestic manufacturing, CIL has devised a strategy to phase out imports gradually over the next six years, it said. Notably, high-capacity machines are already being procured from domestic manufacturers.