BHUBANESWAR: AS the coal crisis is far from over, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik seeking his intervention to resolve the issue and help sustain industry operations.
The CII observed that the shortage, a result of the intermittent coal supplies to captive power plants (CPPs) based industries in Odisha, threatens the viability of industries that form the backbone of the State’s industrial ecosystem and provide employment to lakhs.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Chairman of CII-Odisha State Council Manish Kharbanda said despite the continuous efforts of the State government towards industrial development, the CPP-based industries in Odisha who are heavily dependent on coal as their primary raw material are unable to run smoothly due to the current situation.
“The situation has further worsened since August 2021 with the CPPs getting less than 40 to 50 per cent of the required coal supplies, creating a backlog of over 1,500 coal rakes while most of the available coal rakes are being diverted from CPPs,” he underlined.
Stating that the power plants are forced to operate at reduced power generation levels, creating a huge risk of closure of plants, Kharbanda urged Naveen to help normalise the situation through timely action.