INTUC National General Secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh said captive power plants in various industries, including steel and aluminum, are facing coal shortages, and if the situation does not improve soon, it may lead to the closure of multiple industrial units, causing Mass unemployment. Wednesday. “Captive power plants in various industries including steel and aluminium are facing coal shortages. Priority is given to independent power producers (IPPs) over captive power plants (CPPs),” said National Directorate General, National Union of Trade Unions Congress (INTUC), India Tell PTI.

Singh further said that “if our utilisation of coal is 100 per cent, then we are just getting 20 percent. If this situation continues, then the small companies will reach a level where they will have to close down.” Singh said that the situation has worsened in the past two months and made a plea to the government to give priority for supply of coal to the industries operating in the coal-bearing states, including Chhattisgarh, and then supply coal outside the states.

“We have also written to the Prime Minister to say that people may be forced to continue protesting if demand for coal from industries operating in coal-producing areas is not met, but is instead supplied to industries outside the state.” “So first meet the coal demand for industries operating in coal-containing states, and then ship the dry fuel out of state,” he said. He explained that it is totally unfair that industries operating in states like Chhattisgarh source coal from outside to meet their needs, while the coal produced in Chhattisgarh is shipped to Uttar Pradesh.

Also, on the one hand the government is talking about sending coal to countries like Nepal and Bhutan, on the other hand the domestic industry is not getting the required amount of coal, he said. “It’s not that coal production has decreased. Their (government) policies are wrong … If this continues, people could lose their jobs in the next few days, which could create unrest in every state,” he said. Meanwhile, the government said on Monday that the country’s reliance on imports to meet thermal coal demand has decreased significantly, stressing that Coal India, Singareni Collieries Company Ltd and captive mines will meet this demand in the next financial year.

The Ministry of Electric Power estimates domestic coal demand for coal power generation to be 727 million tonnes in 2022-23. On Monday, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said the country’s thermal power plants are not short of coal. Even in 2021, coal stocks at thermal power plants have fallen due to evacuation concerns, but the country still has enough coal supplies.

Complete News Source : DNA