MCL hopeful of Jharsuguda-Sardege rail link starting by Mar'17

Mahanadi Coalfiled Limited (MCL) today said the Jharsuguda-Barpali-Sardege rail link will be completed by March 2017.
On coal production, the company said it needs to adopt a state-of-art technology to achieve the annual output target of 250 millon tonnes (MT) by 2020.
While the rail line between Jharsuguda and Barpali is expected to be completed by June 2016, the stretch between Barpali and Sardege will see light of the day by March 2017, MCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director A K Jha told reporters here while highlighting the company's achievement during the 2015-16 fiscal.
Stating that the MCL has partnered with IRCON International Ltd & IDCO (Odosha PSU) to jointly form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) namely Mahanadi Coal Railway Limited, Jha said the company in the second phase will take up the Jharsuguda-Barpali-Sardege rail link, which will enable Basundhara Coalfield to produce 85 MT as compared to its current production of 10 MT.

Both the rail projects are very critical for MCL for achieving its higher growth potential, Jha said adding that the SPV will be set up with an objective of developing railway infrastructure in Odisha.
The company has been incorporated on August 31, 2015 with an equity ratio of 64:26:10 among the JV partners i.E. MCL, IRCON & IDCO.

Jha said one of the foremost activities before the company is to develop the Angul-Balram rail link covering around 14 km length in the initial phase with a capacity to transport 92 million tonnes of Coal.
In due course, this rail link will complete the loop Angul-Balaram-Talcher Angul to facilitate unidirectional movement of wagons. The outcome will help increasing coal production thorugh increased evacuation in Talcher Coalfields.

This SPV will only cater to the current evacuation constraints, which impede the growth of MCL and accordingly will implement the evacuation plans.
Jha said the Bharatpur OCP (open cast project) with the
production capacity of 20 MT with Silo loading and departmental OB (overburden) removal was approved on February 2012, 2007.
In this OCP, a SILO of 2,400 tonnes is in operation since 1989 with automatic sampler and electronic weighing system for NALCO.
The rapid loading system is expected to be completed in 2015-16.
"Another significant feature of this SILO is its automatic sampling and pre-weighing system. This will be model mine and same system will be replicated in all the mines of MCL," Jha said.

Keeping in mind its target of producing 250 MT of coal by 2019-20, Jha said the Bharatpur Mine is being developed as a model mega opencast mine with a capacity of 20 MT per annum.
This will have state-of-the-art technology for OB removal and surface Miner for producing 100 mm size coal, which will be dispatched through rapid loading system via SILO of 2X4000te, he said.
A full rake of about 3,800 tonnes will be loaded in about 40 minutes. It will also have automatic sampler and digital weighing system. The model will be replicated in all mega mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd, he said.

Asked about the company's plan for setting up a mega thermal power plant, Jha said MCL has taken up the project for 2x800 mw power plant in Subndergarh district. "Land acquistion work is in progress for the project. Once we get coal linkage and water become available, significant progess can be made in the project," he said.
The MCL CMD said the company has made a significant progress in setting up its proposed state-of-art Medical College and Hospital in Talcher Coalfields of Odisha.
"The construction work is scheduled to be completed in two and half years time from the current fiscal. The academic session will commence from 2019-20," he said adding that the MCL earmarks two per cent of its profit towards CSR projects and has been targeting an expenditure of Rs 100 crore per annum.

During last 5 years, it has spent Rs 373 crore out of the total sanctioned project of worth Rs 1,200 crore.
He said the MCL had envisaged an ambitious CSR project of setting up a 100-seated medical college with 500-bed modern hospital in Talcher at a cost of Rs 494 crore. The state-of- the-art medical college of MCL on 20 acres of land in Talcher will have separate academic and residential blocks with 300-bedded Nehru Shatabadi Central Hospital of MCL in Talcher will be upgraded to 500 bed linking to upcoming Medical College.
The construction work for Rs 491,62 crore 100-seat Medical College at Talcher has already commenced and is in full swing.