Coal India Ltd (CIL) osaid two large value tenders have been floated to construct 135 km east-west rail corridor at an estimated cost of Rs 4,970 crore in Chhattisgarh through an SPV. The railway line on completion will have capacity to evacuate 65 million tonnes (MT) of coal from the opencast mines of CIL arm South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL). The development comes against the backdrop of CIL eyeing one billion tonnes of output by 2023-24.

Setting the wheels in motion, two large value tenders for the construction of 135 km rail line from Gevra Road to Pendra Road, to be developed by CEWRL have been floated recently. IRCON, the construction arm of Indian Railways, has floated the tenders for the work. The tenders were floated after an SBI-led consortium of six banks who are the lenders to this rail corridor released Lenders Confirmation Notice (LCN) for Rs 400 crore as first disbursement in the first week of this month