BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State for Coal and Railways Piyush Goyal expressed displeasure over lack of support from the State Government for increased coal production in the State.While the Government was able to ramp up coal production in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, it was still struggling in Odisha, Goyal said at an industry event in New Delhi.“When Odisha Chief Minister came to Delhi, he wanted to talk about his own agenda while I was more keen to flag up with him the issue which the coal sector was facing in the State, one of the prime places from where coal will come for rest of the country,” said Goyal.
The Union Minister said he had sought the Chief Minister’s help in increasing coal production in the State by getting land, making railway line, sorting out law and order issues and stopping harassment of coal mines by BJD MLAs, particularly in Talcher which has the potential to provide coal to the power plants in rest of the country. “But I did not get the kind of support which I should have,” added Goyal.
The biggest beneficiary, he said, would have been the State and its people. The State would get royalty, huge employment for people who for many years remained deprived of progress and development.
“I personally flew down to Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and spoke to both the Chief Ministers to speed up land acquisition and help us implement these projects faster,” he said.
The Ministry is working, both to ramp up production in its mines and allow more mines to come up through auction methodology. District Mineral Foundation (DMF), started by the Centre would have got money for tribal areas and backward districts to help improve life of people living in those unfortunate circumstances.
Goyal also informed that public sector majors National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) are both working for recalibrating turbines to use domestic coal in bigger measure. “Many turbines in India cannot take beyond a certain percentage of domestic coal as they have been designed on imported coal (technology). I am glad that NTPC and BHEL are both working to recalibrate those plants,” Goyal said.