Workers of the Jagannath Area of the Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl) in Angul district on Saturday sought intervention of the district administration into the locals’ protests that have cut coal production and dispatch by 25 per cent.
People of peripheral Dera village stopped the movement of coal-laden trains from the Jagannath Area which has witnessed drop in production and dispatch by 50 per cent of its 1.2 lakh tonne daily output since April 8. Due to locals’ protests, three MCl projects, Bhubaneswari OCP, Ananta OCP and the Jagannath Colliery, which together contribute 35 per cent to MCl’s total coal production, have been affected. These units had clocked over 121 million tonnes coal production during 2014-15.
The stir has caused non- supply of coals to the NTPC Kaniha, TTPS Talcher, Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board, APGEMCO, Talwandisaboo and the Sesa Sterlite, Jharsuguda. The workers representatives demanded that the district administration take immediate steps to normalise coal mining activities and supply operations in the Jagannath area.
Earlier on April 9, the villagers had also ransacked the Office of the General Manager, Jagannath Area, and disturbed the working while they were yet to submit any demand before the company authorities.