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minewatch, the London-based research and policy non-governmental organisation ( ngo ) for global mine projects, has thrown a spanner in the expansion plans of the Indian coal mining giant Coal India Ltd ( cil ). The company, which is seeking a us $500 million World Bank fund, has been found to be highly deficient in resettlement and environmental impact planning by Minewatch. cil is planning to expand its production from opencast mines in five states.
According to Richard Harkinson, a Minewatch researcher, the World Bank is recommending a us $63 million International Development Assistance credit for the cil 's environmental and social mitigation project so that it can "build up its environmental capacity and deal with its backlog of environmental concerns'. Minewatch has described cil 's environmental management plan as "lax and inappropriate' and also questioned its commitment to reforestation. The British ngo has supported the "land-for land' demand made by the project-affected people in Bihar.