As Coal India plans to ramp up production with heavy investment in hi-tech machines, one of its trade unions has strongly denounced the move fearing ‘huge job losses’. Coal India (CIl), which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, is eyeing one billion tonne output in the next five years.
“It is an open fact when super or high-tech technology comes, manpower reduces. So it is obvious when in Coal India such super technology will come with the multi-national companies and foreign power then automatically there will be huge job loss. So we strongly protest it,” Baij Nath Rai of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said.
The state-owned company will invest $20 billion (over Rs 1.27 lakh crore) to increase production to one billion tonne over the next five years and the money would be spent in technology, equipment and up-gradation of the existing facilities.