SAMBALPUR: Members of Bisthapit Sachetan Samiti on Wednesday staged demonstration in front of main gate of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) headquarters at Burla here demanding adequate coal supply to the industries operating in the State. They closed the main gate of the MCL headquarters for more than three hours over their demand.
They also demanded that the MCL should increase its coal production to bridge the demand-supply gap, spend 90 per cent of the total CSR funds in Western Odisha and also spend 20 per cent of the net profit under corporate social responsibility besides, provide employment to local candidates based on their eligibility.
Representatives of the samiti, led by Congress leader Naba Kishore Das, submitted a memorandum addressed to the Union Minister for Coal through the Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of MCL, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra.
Das said the MCL produces around 140 million MT coal annually and it had produced 144 million MT coal in the last financial year. “However, MCL is not providing the requisite quantity of coal to industries, which are the backbone of Odisha’s socio-economic development,” he alleged.
Of the average 140 million MT coal produced by the MCL annually, only 40 million MT coal is being given to the industries of Odisha while, the remaining 100 million MT coal is sent outside the State. “The MCL should first provide the coal to local industries as per their requirement before supplying coal to the industries of other States,” he said, adding that if industries close down due to want of coal, thousands of people will be rendered jobless.
CMD of MCL, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, said they have adequate coal and no industry in the State will be closed due to coal shortage. MCL has set a target to produce 162.5 million MT coal during the current fiscal against production of 144 million MT coal during the last fiscal.