Mining and transportation of coal remained paralysed at all pitheads in Odisha as the five-day nationwide strike by coal industry workers entered its second day on Wednesday. Negotiations between Government officials and trade unions to restore normalcy failed late on Tuesday night. The MCl collieries of Talcher, lakhanpur, Belpahar, Belari, Ib valley and Orient in the State were affected.
The strike call has been given by all the five leading national trade unions to protest against “disinvestment and restructuring of State-run Coal Indi” and press for demands including a rollback of what the unions call the “process of denationalising the coal sector”. The strike, billed as the biggest industrial shutdown since 1977, is likely to impact the fuel supply to thermal power plants.