The 2.2 lakh tonne per day Talcher Coalfields of Coal India in Odisha has been closed since Monday morning due to a 48-hour economic blockade spearheaded by the ruling BJD MLA, according to sources.
The 80 mtpa coalfield caters to a number of power plants in Odisha and the South. The blockade was declared demanding increased CSR spend.
CIL’s Sambalpur-based subsidiary, Mahanadi Coalfields, is building a Rs 500-crore medical college-cum-super speciality hospital in Talcher.
Sources allege the strike is a fall-out of the increasing rivalry between the BJP and BJD in the State.
Last year MCL refused to part with its CSR budget for a State-sponsored subsidised canteen scheme (on the lines of Amma canteens in Tamil Nadu) allegedly under pressure from the BJP. The BJD is now utilising every opportunity to arm twist MCL, sources say.
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