BJP MP leads economic blockade to ensure coal supply to NALCO

Sambalpur, Aug 1 (UNI) Hundreds of BJP activists, led by MP Rudra Narayan Pani, resorted to an economic blockade at Budhapank railway station under East Coast Railway(ECoR) division.

As a result the movement of all the coal carrying trains to Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and places outside Orissa were paralysed.

The BJP activists were protesting the short supply of coal to NALCO resulting in closure of two captive power units and hampering production in its Angul plant.

The coal requirement of NALCO for power generation in the captive power plant is 14,500 ton per day but Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) situated in a radius of 10 km, is supplying only 9,000 tonnes for the past few months resulting this profit making aluminium industry of the country forced to close down its units.

Mr Pani said it was for the first time the high profit-making NALCO would incur loss only due to short supply of coal and alleged it as a part of the conspiracy of the Union government to run the unit into loss as a first step to facilitate for privatisation.

He said it was more shocking that NALCO situated in the heart of the coal producing zone has been facing the coal crisis, while thermal power units in other states of the country did not encounter such problem.

This clearly showed the apathetic attitude of both MCL and Central government towards NALCO, Mr Pani alleged and urged the Centre to streamline the coal supply with immediate effect.

The BJP activists also stopped coal-laden trucks at different places in Angul and Dhenkanal districts. The BJP leaders threatened that they would intensify the agitation if there would be no improvement in the coal supply situation to NALCO immediately.

UNI