Coal news and updates

MCL sets Oct 31 deadline for land-loser employees

August 13: Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) has given time till October 31 to its employees who had been offered jobs as land-losers, but had not vacated the land, a senior official of the company told ICMW.

MCL had suspended 120 employees sometime back for not vacating the land despite getting jobs in the company as compensation. The suspension has been subsequently withdrawn and employees have been asked to vacate the land before October 31.

“The problem has been solved to some extent in the Talcher area. We have given them time till October 31 (to vacate) and hopefully they will do so because we have agreed in principle to provide them alternate land which will be under the Coal Bearing Area Act,” the official said.

“We realise that we have taken their land and need to compensate them. The villagers had agreed in 2010 to vacate the land. But, recently, they changed their stance, saying they will not shift. Around 163 people have already shifted, but 120 have still not vacated,” the official said.

Indicating that MCL has no intention of throwing out these employees, the official said the company will have to give them jobs in lieu of the land taken from them “but .. they should shift”.

“They have asked for some other land which should be under the Coal Bearing Area Act. We have sought the government’s permission to allot such land. We sought government permission to give them land under this Act as land is already there and encroachment is happening,” the official said.

“There is no coal below that land which is lying idle. The mine (South Belanda) which was there has been shut down and as such there is no problem in giving land in that area. The government has verbally said yes,” the official added.

“Once we get the permission from the government, we have to construct the boundary and remove encroachments and bring in changes in the forest land Clause in order to ensure that quarters can be constructed. Once that is done, we will be free to produce up to 25 million tons of coal annually from that mine,” the official said.