The Hindu Business Line : Drop in rake loading at SAIL mines worries Rlys

Kolkata, July 20 The drop in rake loading of iron ore in the mines of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) and of imported coking coal at Paradip port, also on SAIL account, has caused concern to the Railways which, it is learnt, has taken up the matter with the appropriate authorities. A meeting between the officials of SAIL and the zonal railways concerned is to be held on July 26 to sort out the relevant issues.

Particularly in the current month, the average daily loading of ore has dropped to around 10 rakes from the programmed 15/16 rakes. Heavy rains flooding the mines coupled with the crippling power situation in the mine areas are believed to have led to the present situation. The congestion in Paradip port too has hit the loading of imported coking coal. Against the programmed loading of one rake a day on an average, only six rakes have been loaded at the port so far, it is learnt.

The production at Meghataburu and Kiruburu iron ore mines of SAIL have been badly hit, the average daily loading being around five rakes a day as compared to more than seven rakes in normal situation. It might be noted that in May, these two mines posted record loading of around 210 rakes.

The production of SAIL plants has not been hit so far because of the comfortable raw material stocks, including iron ore. However, a steady depletion of the stocks without any replenishment has also been a matter of concern.

Inquiries however reveal that between April and June the cumulative rake loading of iron ore in the mines was up by about six per cent at 6.1 mt over the same period of the last year and total rail-borne inward traffic of SAIL plants during the period was up by five per cent at 12.17 mt (11.63 mt in the same period of last year). The throughput of imported coking coal however posted a drop of about one per cent at 2.34 mt.

The outward despatches by rail out of the SAIL plants too leave much to be desired, it is learnt. Between April to June, total despatches were of the order of three million tonnes, registering four per cent drop vis-À-vis the same period of last year. The highest drop of 10 per cent was recorded in respect of Rourkela steel plant. In June alone, the drop in despatches out of all SAIL plants was about five per cent at a little more than one mt. In the current month, Bhilai steel plant is believed to be holding more than a lakh tonnes of finished goods even as there is no dearth of the number of empties at the plant.

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