Coal news and updates

Coal India sacks 126 employees in Odisha

Coal India has sacked 126 people in Odisha for indiscipline, a firstof-its-kind move for a state-owned company that experts expect to send out a strong signal to employees, landowners and other public sector undertakings (PSUs).

This is the first time that a PSU has dismissed so many employees in one go, a Coal India spokesperson said. The employees were not vacating land in lieu of which they were offered jobs in the company's subsidiary Mahanadi Coalfields.

An official of Mahanadi Coalfields said the employees were recruited in the Talcher coalfield between 1995 and 2009. As per the terms of appointment, the workers were supposed to vacate their land within five months of joining the company.

The employees did not vacate the land despite several notices by the company. A final notice was issued in November last year, asking the villagers of Hensmul and Jalinda to shift to resettlement sites. "Mahanadi Coalfield has been entrusted with a huge responsibility to meet the energy demand of the nation. Any obstruction in mining activity causes a huge loss to the nation," said the official, who did not wish to be named.

Talcher, India's largest coalfield, accounts for about 60% of CIL output. About half of Mahanadi Coalfields' employees have been recruited in lieu of land.

"In view of continued violation of terms and conditions of the appointment as well as the affidavit submitted by them at the time of appointment, jobs of 126 people were terminated as per the recommendations of the monitoring committee in coal mines chaired by Odisha chief secretary," the official said, adding that Coal India's resettlement policies were liberal than those of Odisha government.

Coal India is not the only staterun firm facing problems in land acquisition. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is facing agitation from local villagers at its Panipat refinery in Haryana even after 15 years of land acquisition.

IOC has rehabilitated the displaced families of Baholi village to an equivalent area built specially for the land losers. Besides compensation, the company carries out corporate social responsibility activities for the people affected by the project.

Source: The Economic Times