Parliament Question: Repurposing of mining areas in Chhattisgarh for tourism and recreation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-206 ANSWERED ON- 02/02/2026 REPURPOSING OF MINING AREAS IN CHHATTISGARH FOR TOURISM AND RECREATION 206. SHRI DEVENDRA PRATAP SINGH: Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has any plan to utilize mining areas in the State of Chhattisgarh, after the exhaustion of coal reserves, for promoting tourism and recreational activities; (b) if so, the details of proposed initiatives such as eco-parks, sites for water sports, underground tours, golf grounds and avenues for recreation, adventure or bird watching; (c) the steps being taken to transform such areas in the State of Chhattisgarh into sustainable tourism hubs; and (d) whether any consultations with stakeholders or pilot projects have been undertaken in the State in this regard? ANSWER MINISTER OF COAL AND MINES (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY) (a) and (b): South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), utilizes exhausted coal mining areas in the State of Chhattisgarh for various activities including ecological restoration and tourism. At Bishrampur Opencast Mine in Surajpur district, water tourism and pisciculture facilities have been developed, including a floating restaurant. Eco-parks are developed at Gevra Opencast Mine and ‘Oxygen Eco-Park’ at Kusmunda Opencast Mine in Korba district. (c) and (d): To transform these areas into sustainable tourism hubs, focus is on community-led models that integrate environmental conservation with local employment. In the Kenapara Project in Surajpur District, the exhausted mining void has been converted into a water tourism site featuring a floating restaurant. This project is managed by a Self-Help Group (SHG) of Kenapara village. Similarly, a detailed report after a need-based assessment survey across 36 villages in three districts of Chhattisgarh namely, Korba, Surajpur and Manendragarh- Chirimiri-Bharatpur (MCB) has been submitted by Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Amarkantak to SECL. ***** 1