All about coal mining in India under one roof at proposed museum in Ranigunj
The Statesman | 27 November 2025
Primary construction work for a coal museum, the first of its kind in eastern India, has begun in the Raniganj coalfields area, the mother region for coal mining in the country.
The museum, according to Eastern Coalfields Limited authorities, was proposed in line with the combined vision of promoting industrial heritage and community engagement. It is set to be commissioned by the end of 2026 in the Sonepur Bazari Area of ECL, a Coal India subsidiary.
The Rs 6.23-crore project, as ECL’s Chairman cum Managing Director Satish Jha explained, “is conceptualised to highlight the historical evolution of coal mining in the country and showcase how the mining industry manifested itself from manual to mechanised and automated modes of operation.” He told The Statesman: “It aims to preserve the rich legacy of coal mining in the region while serving as a centre for learning, tourism and cultural pride.”
Coalmining activities began in the country 250 years ago in a haphazard manner on the western banks of the Damodar River at Narayankuri near Raniganj town in 1774. East India Company’s field officers John Summer and Suetonius Grant Heatley supervised the early excavations. Narayankuri is nearly 15 km from the much prestigious and profitable Sonepur Bazari Open Cast Project.
In 1834, targeted commercial mining operations were kicked off at the same Narayankuri pit by Carr, Tagore & Company – an organisation owned jointly by European businessman William Carr and Bengal counterpart Dwarakanath Tagore, the grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore. This, incidentally, was the first company where an Indian and a European businessmen had equal shares.
These and many other bits of information will be available at the proposed museum. As described in the detailed project report, it is being set up within the landscaped biodiversity park at View Point (a hilly overburden dump) at the heart of Sonepur Bazari Area. Anand Mohan, General Manager of the Area, said: “The structures and exhibits will depict the past, present and future of coalmine industry through a hypnotic experience.” He added: “The site chosen for this atop the overburden dump itself symbolises the transformation of the mined land into a centre of knowledge, greenery and heritage.”
The museum will have a main exhibition hall accommodating historical photographs, vintage mining tools, and geological samples. It will also have a heritage gallery, showcasing ECL’s growth, technological advancements, besides socio-economic impacts, and a 3D interactive zone with digital simulation area. Some working miniature mine models demonstrating educational replicas of open cast and underground mining systems, especially for students, are also being designed for the museum.
An Audio-Visual Theatre screening short documentaries on mining heritage and future mining technologies is also on the cards, the officials said.
Opened in 1983 after suspension of mining activities, Big Pit National Coal Museum in Wales, England, is considered the first coalmine museum in the world.