MCL incurs Rs 2.5 cr following protest at Talcher

Bhubaneswar: Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) incurred an estimated loss of Rs 2.5 crore till evening on Tuesday, following an illegal stoppage of coal supply to power plants from the Ananta Railway Sidings by the villagers of Kandhaberni at Talcher Coalfields in Angul district of Odisha.

The movement of coal rakes from Ananta Sidings number 5 and 6 was forcibly stopped by the residents of Kandhaberni, a village located between Bharatpur Area and Hingula Area of MCL.

The villagers were demanding a supervisor’s job in favour of one Babuli Sahoo in a private firm engaged by MCL mining operations, said an MCL statement.

Coal supply operations of MCL from Ananta Sidings number 5 and 6, which supplies to power plants at least 12 rakes of railways carrying about 42,000 tonne coal in a day, have been totally paralysed since afternoon. 

The company had immediately lodged a complaint to the police seeking assistance to resume coal supply operations, it said.

Sporadic incidents of illegal stoppage by villagers in Talcher coalfields have adversely affected coal production from MCL.

These illegal stoppages of company’s operations not only adversely affect the country’s economy, but the local population is also being affected adversely.

Thousands of people engaged in different occupations connected to coal mining industry are facing huge financial loss due to frequent protests in Talcher coalfields.

Being the top contributor to Odisha exchequer, MCL’s contribution to District Mineral Fund (DMF) in Angul, Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts of Odisha was more than Rs 600 crore during the last fiscal 2018-19.