BS reported that production in Talcher coalfield, having one of the richest reserve of coal in the country, has gone down significantly.

The coalfield, having 8 open cast mines, accounts for 60% of coal production of Coal India Limited’s Mahanadi Coalfield Limited

The coal output in this coalfield was growing at a rate of 10% since the birth of MCL in 1992 till 2008-09. But ironically last year, not to speak of achieving the target, it fell behind the previous year’s output, portraying a negative growth.

The situation in the current year is also grim as it produced 16.813 million tonne of coal as against the target of 20.77 million tonne by the end of last month. The production in the first five months of this fiscal is even less than the corresponding figures of last year.

The daily output has gone down to merely 100,000 tonne during the last three months. Instead of 25 to 30 rakes being dispatched daily from Talcher, only 13 to 15 rakes are being dispatched now as the railway sidings at coal mines are empty of coal.

This has put a spanner in MCL’s plan to achieve an ambitious target of 117 million tonne in 2011-12.

(Sourced from BS)