JHARSUGUDA: Amid a brewing coal crisis, a Jharsuguda-based civil society forum called Aanchalik Silp Bisthapit Sachetan Manch (ASBSM) has warned of an agitation in front of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) office if it does not supply required coal to power plants and industries in western Odisha within seven days.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday, ASBSM president Tapas Roy Chowdhury and general secretary P Rammohan Rao informed that a memorandum in this regard will be submitted to the CMD of MCL at the Burla headquarters on Monday. The forum also alleged more than 65 per cent of MCL’s coal is sent to other states which is fuelling the coal supply crisis in Odisha.
If the situation persists, industrial units in western Odisha which depend on MCL coal may have to shut down very soon, the members stated. They also demanded a policy change to ensure that MCL prioritises Odisha’s power demands over the demands of other states.
“The lion’s share of 148 million tonne coal produced by MCL in the last financial year 2020-21 has been dispatched to other states. The balance 35 per cent is given to thermal power projects and other industries in Odisha,” said Chowdhury, adding that if power shortage in industries continues, it will have a catastrophic effect on lives of the workers who directly or indirectly depend on these units for livelihood.