Odisha would soon become the new energy hub in the country with Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl) strategically heading towards 250 million tonne (MT) coal production target by 2020 along with diversification into power generation and transmission sectors.
As on November 24 last, MCl produced 81.051 MT coal, removed 59.364 MT over burden (OB) and dispatched 86.527 MT of dry fuel to the consumers, registering a growth of 10 per cent, 11 per cent and 11.5 per cent respectively, MCl Chairman-cum-Managing Director Anil Kumar Jha said. The company is setting up a 2 x 800 MW Super Critical Thermal Power Plant at its Basundhara Area in Sundergarh district, besides a joint venture transmission utility Neelachal Power Transmission Company Private limited.
The company in a joint venture with Odisha Government and the Railways formed Mahanadi Coal Railway limited to boost the rail development project and strengthen transport communication network in the State. Coal production from Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl) is likely to get a fillip as Indian Railways is expected to complete the 52-km-long Barpali-Jharsuguda line by June 2016, solving the major evacuation problem in the coal-rich Basundhara fields in Sundergarh. Completion of single-line at the estimated cost of Rs 1,007 crore is projected to increase off-take from MCl by 35 million tones. This would increase the dispatch to 45 million tonne from the Basundhara and Siarmal project areas, which will further feed about nine million tonne to its proposed 800x2 MW super critical thermal power plant within the area.
The MCl contribution in the form of tax/royalties to the Odisha exchequer were up by 5.93 per cent to Rs 2,003.82 crore during financial year 2014-15 as against Rs 1,891.71 crore during previous financial year 2013-14.
Besides setting up mega CSR projects, like Mahanadi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Talcher in Angul district (estimated cost Rs 492 crore), sports stadium (estimated cost Rs 25 crore) at Sambalpur, a cardiac hospital in Jharsuguda and ropeway at Hirakud, etc., the company has been contributing towards socio-economic development of Odisha, particularly living in peripheral areas.
The company spends over Rs 100 crore under its various CSR initiatives. Even women associations of MCl employees under the umbrella body Jagriti Mahila Mandal are actively involved to help the needy and working for social-economic upliftment of the underprivileged segments of the society.
The MCl has a target to attend six vendor development programmes, out of which till October last, it participated in three programmes at Rourkela, Bhubaneswar and its headquarters at Burla. It plans to participate in the events at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar to be organized by MSME DI Cuttack and NSIC.
The company absorbed 12,070 land oustees in job which is more than the half of its total manpower. Besides this, it gave cash compensation of Rs 3333.27 lakh to 394 beneficiaries and annuity of Rs 12,000 to seven beneficiaries with Rs 1,000 increment per two years.
The company recorded ‘Zero’ fatality during the year 2014, while there was no underground fatality since 2009.