By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, January 17, 2022: The Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises (OASME) on Monday sought Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s intervention to ensure coal supply for industries operating in the state.

The continuing coal shortage due to stoppage/curtailment of coal supplies and rakes has threatened the very survival of local industries with the risk of loss of lakhs of livelihood, and closure of thousands of MSMEs in the state, OASME secretary-general Satwik Swain said in a letter to Patnaik.

Captive Power Plants (CPP)-based industries in Odisha, which are heavily dependent on coal as their primary raw material, are unable to run smoothly due to the current situation, it said. Since August 2021, the CPPs are getting just 40-50 per cent of the required coal supply, Swain said.

Odisha holds 25 per cent of the total coal deposits of the country. Out of the 150 million tonnes of coal produced through Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd, 65 per cent is being transferred to other states and only 35 per cent is reserved for Odisha industries against the actual minimum requirement of 55 per cent, the letter said. The industry body said prompt action is needed for immediate resumption of coal and rake supplies from MCL.