Coal India limited (CIl) in an attempt to ease the concern of coal fired power plants, facing critical coal stocks, has set up a round-the-clock Initiatives, Monitoring and Control Cell (IMC) at its Corporate Office today to monitor the situation on real time basis. Similar 24X7 IMCs have been set up at all coal producing subsidiaries of CIl with a toll-free number.
Gopal Singh who stepped in as Chairman, CIl on September 01, termed this initiative as “an effort to rush coal to thermal power stations facing critical stocks and avoid stock crisis at any of the linked power stations. This is our commitment to consumers to address their problems on priority and provide feedback on the course of action taken. We plan to monitor production and despatch of coal closely”.
The monitoring plan primarily aims at coordination with Railways, Power Utilities/IPPs for rushing coal to generating units facing critical stocks and avoid stock crisis at any of the linked power stations. It also encompasses coal production and transportation of coal from mines to the rail heads and other dispatch points including captive ones, movement of rakes with special emphasis on turn-around within free time loading allowed by railways, condition of transport roads, crushing arrangements and hassle free functioning at weighing facilities.
The control room is manned by officers of production and marketing department who would be in constant consultation with higher authorities to iron out any crisis situation. In a bid to boost up coal supplies to thermal power plants the company is temporarily regulating coal movement to non-power sector pushing additional coal to these plants. To pool in logistic capability of thermal power plants, coal is being offered on ‘as is where is’ and ‘Road cum Rail’ mode from stocks in CCl, WCl, SECl, BCCl and MCl.
Further, GenCos have been asked to utilize flexi-utilisation facility to optimize coal movement to plants with critical coal stocks. CIl has asked the national power producer, NTPC, to prioritize movement of coal to their plants on the basis of stockholding.
Coal imports during April-July2017 at 19.29 MTs came down by 19 per cent compared to same period last year with CIl stepping in to meet the demand of the consuming sector with increased supplies. During the comparable period previous year coal imports were 23.76 MTs.
A ’Samadhan’ cell also was inaugurated by Singh where employees of CIl and all other stakeholders can lodge their grievances for redressal.
Within 30 days the response on the course of action would be intimated to them. A display board would also be placed where the status of the grievance would be updated.