Bhubaneswar: Coal production and supply from Talcher Coalfields of Mahanadi Coal Fields Limited (MCL) remained paralysed for the 10th consecutive day Friday, resulting in over Rs 280 crore loss to the company and the exchequers of the state and the Centre owing to an agitation by locals backed by political parties after four workers died in a mishap at a mine few days back.
Though BJP activists withdrew its strike after talks with the administration and MCL authorities Wednesday, villagers backed by BJD leaders then initiated stoppage of work, stalling operations at all mines in Talcher Coalfields in Angul district. Members of Talcher Suraksha Parishad, a social outfit, submitted a set of demands which included compensation of Rs 3 crore each to the family of the deceased and a permanent job to the deceased nominee, an MCL spokesperson said.
The agitation by the locals following the Bharatpur Open Cast Project (OCP) accident has led to coal shortage, which has also badly affected power generation at NTPC’s 3,000 MW Kaniha power plant and the 460 MW Talcher Thermal Power Station in the state. Talcher Coalfields, which produces an average of 2.1 lakh tonne coal per day during the rainy season, came to a grinding halt from the evening of July 24.
Four workers were killed and nine others injured in the mishap at Bharatpur mine on July 23, triggering protests by political parties and locals. BJP activists had first launched an agitation demanding a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for families of each deceased.
Coal miners have been asked to resume operations and the company has also taken up the issue with the state authorities, the spokesperson said.
The closure of the mines has not only incurred huge losses to the company, the state and central exchequer, but also affected the income of 15,000 workers of MCL and 12,000 contractual workers, 10,000 truck drivers and khalasis of private trucks along with 5,000 medium and small businessmen, he claimed.
“The entire blockade has impacted the earnings of over 40,000 families of Talcher,” the spokesperson said.
“The current losses to the company following the shut down from July 24 till date is a coal production loss of 16.84 lakh tonnes valuing Rs 170.96 crore, 19.32 lakh tonnes of despatch, 16.5 lakh cubic metre of over burden, and a loss of Rs 110.66 crore to the state and central exchequers,” he added.
MCL has announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased, the spokesperson said.
The state government has also provided Rs five lakh ex-gratia each to the families of the victims.
(PTI)