TALCHER: As the Coal India Limited is under unprecedented pressure from Prime Minister’s Office to produce more to meet the growing need of the power sector, its flagship company -- Mahanadi Coalfields Limited -- has been given a major share of the target burden.
Talcher coalfield which happens to be one of the four richest coal belts in the country has been given a target of 63.54 million tonne of coal, an increase of about 10 MT from the last fiscal. In 2011-12 Talcher which accounts for 60 per cent of MCL production churned out 53.85 MT. Out of these, Jagannath area crossed its target last year by recording 23.27 MT production.
Similarly Hingula, Bharatpur and Lingaraj areas did better than the previous year. The only underground mine area, Talcher, also fared good, according to an official source.
In the current fiscal, the asking rate is higher. Jagannath area is asked to produce 26 MT, three million tonne more than last year. Similarly Hingula is to produce 12.5MT, followed by Lingaraj and Bharatpur which have been given a target of 13 MT and 10 MT respectively. The new 15 MT annual capacity Kaniha area is to produce two million tonne only.
The CMD of MCL Animesh Sahay exudes confidence that the company, including Talcher, will come up to CIL’s expectations this year. The Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal is scheduled to visit Talcher Coalfield shortly to facilitate enhancement of coal output. More than seven states depend on Talcher coalfields to run their power stations.