PSU coal miner in Odisha loses over ₹2 cr after protest over goat’s death

The protest stopped mining and transportation of coal at Talcher for more than three hours and resumed only after the intervention of senior officials and the police.

Public sector coal miner, Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd Tuesday said that it suffered a loss of ₹2.68 crore due to a three-and-half hour agitation over the death of a goat in Odisha’s Talcher area.

Operations at Mahanadi coal fields near Talcher town in Odisha were affected for more than three hours Tuesday after a protest by local villagers. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

In a statement, MCL said the company suffered the loss due to stoppage of coal transportation and despatch work at Jaganath sidings in Talcher Coalfields after a goat of a local villager was killed after a truck carrying coal hit it.

Public relations officer of MCL, Dikken Mehra said the local people demanded ₹60,000 as compensation for goat’s death. The protest spilt over to the mine areas in Jaganath Sidings 1 and 2 at Talcher where villagers forcibly stopped mining work. Work resumed only at 2.30 p.m. after the intervention of senior officials and the police.

The company said due to three-and-a-half-hour-long stoppage, it suffered an estimated loss of ₹1.4 crore on account of coal transportation to the sidings, and ₹1.28 crore because it could not despatch a particular quantity of coal through railways. The government exchequer also suffered an estimated loss of around ₹46 lakh due to this stoppage.

The company later lodged an FIR with the local police for necessary action against those who created the illegal obstruction.

“Coal mines are restricted working zones where only the people authorised, trained and having a knowhow of the mines enter to perform their job, the entry to mine areas is totally prohibited for general movement,” Mehra said.