Mining Map: Hotspots - Northeast
Mining for Assam's 'black gold', coal has taken a heavy toll on the thick forest cover of Patkai, Tikok and Tirap hills in Tinsukhia district of Assam. The open cast mines run by North-Eastern Coalfields Limited (NECL) have been extracting coal in the region at a stripping rate of 1:14 (a ratio of coal produced to waste generated).