Power generation was severely hit at Bihar's Kahalgaon-based NTPC plant with five of its units shut down following disruption in coal supply from Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) Lalmatia mine to the plant.
The supply was snapped after 21 wagons of a goods train carrying coal to the plant from Lalmatia coalfields in Godda district in Jharkhand derailed near Bochahi village under Sanokhar police station of Bhagalpur district yesterday.
With the MGR tracks of NTPC blocked due to the derailment, the plant authorities decided to shut down five units this morning, official sources said adding two units of the plant were operational at present severely affecting power generation, sources said.
Work was going on a war-footing to ensure early restoration of transporation of coal through the MGR tracks of NTPC for resumption in usual power generation by the plant, the sources said.
One person, identified as Kundan Yadav, was found trapped underneath the damaged wagons in a serious condition, police said.
The police suspected him to be a member of an organised criminal gang indulging in pilfering of coal from NTPC's MGR track in course of its transportation.
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It was suspected that Kundan had snapped the vacuum pipe between two wagons with an intention to stop the speeding train. While trying to do so, he got trapped.
The bridge NO 25 at the accident site, from where some of the derailed wagons rolled down, also got damaged in the accident.