TALCHER: To meet the burgeoning demand for coal in the country, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), comprising coalfields in Odisha, has been asked to meet the target of a staggering 112 million tonne coal in the current fiscal. The target was way below at 103.12 mt in the last fiscal.In contrast, the number one CIL Company -- South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) -- which produced 113.84 MT in the last fiscal has been asked to produce 117 mt in the current fiscal. This is just an increase of 3.16 MT for SECL, while on the other hand MCL will have to increase production by nine MT, according to a CIL projection. Hard pressed under nation-wide cry and concern for coal, CIL in the current financial year fixed a target of 464 MT from 435.84 MT last year, an increase of 28.16 MT. Out of this, MCL will alone share nine MT, the highest among all the eight coal companies in CIL.Except SECL and MCL, no other company has been given the target to produce 100 million tonne of coal in the current year.It is not the first time that most of the CIL burden is borne by MCL alone. In past too CIL depended on MCL for its accelerated growth. Any slump had a bearing on the CIL growth. In 2010-11 when MCL production remained stagnant, CIL’s production was restricted within 431.32 MT.It is under the stewardship of CMD AN Sahay that MCL despite multiple adversaries produced 103.12 MT of coal, three million tonne more than the previous year. The CIL record shows that even in last fiscal, out of the 4.5 MT growth of CIL, MCL’s share was three MT. If this growth rate is maintained, MCL will be the number one coal company in CIL within two years, company sources said.The CMD of MCL, AN Sahay, termed the target as too big. He said, “The production can be increased to meet the nation’s needs if the company is provided land and the support of Government as well as locals.”
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