Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), the flagship company of Coal India Ltd (CIL), has posted 9.46 per cent growth in coal production in 2008-09 (FY09), outpacing the 7 per cent growth recorded by its parent company, CIL. The production rose to 96.355 million tonnes from 88 million tonnes last fiscal. Despite this impressive growth, MCL has fallen short of its revised target of 104 million tonnes, fixed by the coal ministry.
The coal offtake was 90.34 million tonnes as against the target of 104 million tonnes. MCL achieved 52.84 million cubic meter of over burden removal in FY09 as against the targeted 70 million cubic meter.
Talcher and Basundhara fields recorded positive performances on their overburden removal. Ib valley field’s performances was negative because no mine earmarked in the field could go for outsourcing of the job during the year due to stiff opposition from trade unions and locals. Only Lacchkura open cast mine in Ib valley field went for outsourcing, while others like Samaleswari an Laxmanpur mines failed to outsource the OB works.
Talcher, which accounts for 70 per cent of the coal output of the company, recorded an output of 57.53 million tonnes, while IB valley posted an output of 30.27 million tonnes. The Basundhara area in Sundergarh district had an output of 8.8 million tonnes. Only Basundhra field has achieved its output target unlike Talcher and IB valley.
Sources said the total coal production of CIL stood at 403.70 million tonnes in the year just concluded. In the current financial year, MCL has decided to focus on opening its two pending open-cast coal mines, Kaniha and Ganjanbahal. It has also resolved to implement outsourcing overbruden removal works in the remaining mines in IB valley and the Basundhara areas to boost production in the current year. Its targeted production for this year is 115 million, sources added.
