While the Government was able to ramp up coal production in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, it was still struggling in Odisha, Union Minister for Coal and Railways Piyush Goyal said at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on Tuesday night.
“When the Odisha CM came down to Delhi, while he wanted to talk about his own agenda, I was more keen to flag of with him the issue which the coal sector was facing in Odisha, which is one of the prime places from where coal will come for rest of the country,” said Goyal while addressing an ASSOCHAM Interactive Session on Coal Industry.
The Minister said that he had sought Odisha CM’s help in increasing coal production in the State by getting land, making railway line, sorting out law and order issues and stopping harassment of coal mines by BJD (Biju Janta Dal) MlAs, particularly in Talcher, which has the potential to provide coal to the power plants in rest of the country.
“But I did not get the kind of support which I should have got,” added Goyal.
He said that state-run coal mining company Coal India ltd (CIl) had taken a decision and is planning to invest thousands of crores of rupees to become totally self-sufficient in their rakes and wagons in next five to seven years.