By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 3, 2019: Coal production and supply from Talcher Coalfields of Mahanadi Coal Fields Limited (MCL) remained paralysed for the 10th consecutive day on Friday, leading to a loss of more than Rs 280 crore to the PSU and the exchequers of the state and the Centre.

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 following the agitation by the locals in the wake of an accident at the Bharatpur Open Cast Project (OCP).

At least four persons were feared dead and nine were injured following a strata collapse that triggered a massive landslide in the mine on the night of July 23. The strikers are demanding a safety inspection of the entire Talcher Coalfields along with a high-level investigation into the incident of strata failure and adequate compensation to the deceased persons’ families.

The prolonged agitation has badly affected power generation at NTPC’s 3,000 MW Kaniha power plant and the 460 MW Talcher Thermal Power Station in the state.

“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,” said an MCL statement.

It said the closure of the mines has not only incurred huge losses to the company, it has also affected the income of the 15,000 workers of MCL, 12,000 contractual workers, 10,000 truck drivers and khalasis of private trucks plying in Talcher Coalfields besides the business interest of around 5,000 medium and small businessmen.

The blockade has roughly affected the earnings of around more than 40,000 families of Talcher for which the responsibility lies on the people behind the blockade, it added.

The strike at MCL Talcher Coalfields has led to very critical coal condition at NTPC’s Kaniha power plant and the 460 MW NTPC Talcher Thermal Power Station, said a NTPC statement on Friday.

At the NTPC Kaniha plant, three of its 500 MW units have already been shut down due to acute shortage of coal while out of 6 units, only one is running at NTPC Talcher Thermal Plant, the statement said.

Power generation at Kaniha plant is at 900 MW against the capacity of 3,000 MW due to the grave coal crisis.

“The prevailing situation may result in acute shortage in power supply to Odisha as well as other states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and the North East states as well as to the states of southern parts of the country,” it said.

The Kaniha plant requires 58,000 MT coal per day to run all its six units on full load whereas the Talcher Thermal plant requires 9,000 MT coal on a daily basis.

The 10 day agitation, halting coal production and transport, has resulted in estimated revenue loss of Rs 100 crore to East Coast Railway towards coal transport and another Rs 120 crore revenue loss to Centre and Odisha, industry insiders said. Besides, coal stock at National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Kaniha to a critical level of below 10,000 MT. The NTPC Kaniha has shut down three out of six units (each 5 mega watt) for past one week due to shortage of coal.