Strike may not have much impact on coal production: SCCL

Says production will not be affected much as most of the mining is done in open cast

State-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited today said coal production may not have much impact due to the strike by some trade unions.

According to a senior official of the SCCL, the coal production from the mines will be in the range of 1.5 lakh tonnes per day and despite 50% of the workforce being on strike, the production will not be affected much as most of the mining is done in open cast.

"We expect 50% workforce on duty today. We have deployed most of them in open cast mines to minimise the impact on production. We may lose around 10,000-15000 tonnes of coal production on account of the strike," the official told PTI.

Barring INTUC and AITUC, other unions are working today and the situation in terms of attendance is expected to improve tomorrow, he said.

The trade unions today began a five-day coal industry strike in protest against 'disinvestment and restructuring of state-run Coal India' and to press for their other demands, including the roll-back of what they call "process of denationalising of coal sector."

Meanwhile, the Telangana unit of Communist Party of India (CPI), in a statement, alleged that the government was trying to foil the strike by arresting some trade union leaders.