In a boost to domestic manufacturing of earth-moving equipment used in mines, Coal India Ltd has decided to phase out imports over a period of 5-6 years, the Coal Ministry said on Monday.
According to the government, Coal India imports high-capacity equipment such as electric rope shovels, hydraulic shovels, dumpers, crawler dozers, drills, motor graders, front-end loaders wheel dozer, continuous miners equipment and others worth around Rs 3,500 crore and pays Rs 1,000 crore as custom duty, incurring heavy expense on purchasing machinery through importing.
“Therefore, it has been planned to phase out import over the period of next five to six years by encouraging and developing domestic equipment manufacturers’ capabilities.
