MCL assures adequate coal supply to NALCO

BHUBANESWAR: Mahanadi Coalfiled Ltd (MCL) on Thursday assured Orissa govermment that the crisis arising out of reduced coal supply to NALCO would be sorted out soon.

Stating he was aware about the crisis, MCL's newly-appointed Chairman-cum-Managing Director Sriram Upadhaya told reporters, "I have assured the government that the problem will be sorted out soon."

Upadhaya, who met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today, also sought the government's help.

Worried over the crisis, the state government last month moved the central government stating that the MCL had failed to meet the coal demands of state's only aluminium company. Patnaik had demanded immediate central intervention.

Official sources said while NALCO required 14,500 mt of coal every day, MCL supplied only 9,000 mt of coal for its captive power plant and for operation of other units.

The profit making company suffered a lot due to less supply of coal in June and July, sources said.

To a query, the MCL Chairman said that his priority would be to take the company to a high "along with people".

Claiming that MCL had been implementing the resettlement and rehabilitation policy of the state government in toto while implementing its projects, he said the priority would be to solve any displacement problem.