ANGUL: Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has become the number one coal producer in the country by producing a record 137.9 tonnes of dry fuel in 2015-16, contributing 39 per cent to the growth of Coal India Limited (CIL).
MCL has surpassed the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) which has recorded 135.7 tonnes in the last fiscal. Since the CIL was formed in 1973, SECL continued to be the number one among the eight subsidiaries of Coal India. The production of MCL in 2014-15 was posted at 121 tonnes.
Similarly, MCL has recorded an offtake of 140.22 tonnes in coal dispatch front registering a growth of about 14 per cent.
Talcher coalfield has produced 80.6 tonnes while Ib Valley coalfield including Basundhara posted an output of 57.3 tonnes of coal in the last financial year.
However, both MCL and CIL have missed the coal production target. While CIL produced 536.5 tonnes against the target of 550 tonnes, MCL went up to 137.9 tonnes against the target of 150 tonnes.
Congratulating the staff of MCL, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) AK Jha said performance graph of the company would continue to show an upward trend in coal production, dispatch and development of peripheral areas.