Do you think that the Naxalite movement poses serious problems for India’s coal production?
Raaj Kumar (RK): The government is handling the Naxalite problem in a systematic manner. From the current situation to the time we will extract our first coal ingot from our Orissa mine, there is plenty of time. We hope by that time, the Naxalite problem will get resolved. Also, the country needs coal for power projects. This is linked with development, so there may not be any roadblocks. As far as GMR is concerned, we do not foresee any problems in developing the Orissa mine and transporting the coal from these blocks to other places. ML: What is the current status of the Orissa coal block allotted to GMR Energy in 2008? Will the delay in coal mining affect your power projects? RK: For the Orissa coal block, we have already formed a joint venture company. Usually for any mine, pre-development activities take around two-three years’ time and we need a number of clearances like forest, exploration and environmental clearances. The process is going on. As far as our power project is conc
