May 25, 2016· In northeast India, coal mining was initiated by Medlicott in 1869 and 1874 (Sarma 2005a, b). The Cenozoic coals in the northeast states of India with its unusual physicochemical characteristics have been playing an important role in the Indian economy for the last few decades (Baruah 2009 ; Saikia et al. 2014a ).