Two closed MCL mines resume operations

The two mega open cast coal mines, Hingula and Balaram, located under the command area of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) which were closed for last ten days due to the stir of nearby villagers, restarted operation following the intervention of the district administration.

The agitation has been called off and the two coal mines have resumed normal operation, said P C Sahu, the headman of Kalamchuin, one of the affected villages.

At a meeting chaired by the Angul district collector D V Swamy on Tuesday, it was decided that the villagers would be given appointment under rehabilitation package on a conditional basis. One of the conditions is that they would not resort to any agitation or create law and order problems at the two coal mining areas–Hingula and Balaram.

It was also decided that the locals who would get employment have to vacate their homestead land within a fixed period after getting residential plot at new resettlement site. Many other contentious issues were resolved at the meeting attended by the top officials of MCL and the local MLA..

The locals of Kalamchuin had started their stir on November 22 and paralyzed the operations of the two coal mines, demanding jobs in lieu of their land. The demand, was, however, turned down by the MCL authorities, who had set a condition that the affected villagers should first demolish their houses before being considered for jobs.

The deadlock continued for eight days and a high-level meeting was held at the state secretariat under the chairmanship of the state energy secretary P K Jena on Monday to find a solution to the vexed issue.

MCL claimed to have lost production of four lakh tonnes of coal due to the stir.