Talcher: Even as the Centre is aware of frequent agitations by locals in Talcher coalfields area demanding rehabilitation and employment, precious little has been done for the development of the area, a report said here Saturday.
Frequent protests are a headache for the Centre as Talcher coalfields hold a special place in the growth of the country’s economy. Senior coal officials visiting the coalfields allegedly ignore the demands of people.
According to a geological survey, Talcher coalfield has deposits of nearly 51 billion tonnes of coal.
The coal mined in Talcher feeds power projects in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat as well as the state. Talcher coalfields therefore helps in the growth of the economy while it also boosts the energy sector in the country.
The Centre has adopted a callous stance when it comes to carry out development in Talcher even though it is a long standing demand of locals. Incidentally, a local leader is a senior minister in the Union Cabinet.
While the state government had been blamed on this count several times, the Centre has done precious little to set up a separate coal company for fast development of the area.
The residents claim that establishment of a separate coal company will bring in development and resolve the long standing issues raised by the locals involving their displacements and employment.
The Centre’s indifference towards Talcher became obvious when the chairman of Coal India had visited the coalfields here and denied any plan for establishment of a separate coal company in the region. This flared up the simmering resentment among locals. There are large scale resentments in the area over negligence by the Union coal ministry to Talcher.
Sources said the British people had first made prospecting in Talcher in 1912. The survey traced coal in the region following which British firm Villiers sought the permission of the local king and excavated the areas in Handidhuan in 1916. Coal was produced here for the first time in 1926.
Soon NCDC opened coal mines at South Balanda in 1960, Nandira in 1962 and Jagannath coal mines in 1972. Later, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) with its headquarters at Burla entered Ib valley in Jharsuguda and Talcher coalfields to mine coal from the region in 1992.
Then the annual turnover of MCL was 22 million tonne which included six million tonne from Ib valley and 16 million tonne from Talcher coalfields. Meanwhile, MCL’s coal production has gone up significantly with its turnover reaching 139.21 million tonne in 2016-17 financial year.
Talcher coalfields accounts for 81.31 million tonne. According to Fazal committee report, a separate coal field could be established in an area where the turnover is 20 million tonne and above. Accordingly, Talcher has long qualified to be the hub of a separate coal company.
This apart, the annual turnover of coal in Talcher is much more than the combined production of four of the Coal India subsidiaries except SECL (140.003 million tonne) and NCL (84.09 million tonne). This year, ECL has produced 40.20 MT, BCCL 37.4 MT, CCL 67.05 MT and WCL 45.63 MT. PNN
