CIL strike to hit power output in South by 40%

KOLKATA: The three-day strike called by the officers’ association of Coal India from March 13 is likely to affect about 40% of power generation in South India. Most thermal plants in the rest of the country are better off with sufficient stocks to last about two weeks. There are 14 power plants across the country with stocks that will barely last for three days, a senior power sector official said, adding that a few of these plants may have to shut down or scale down their generation to avoid a total shutdown during the strike.
Power plants in South India with a capacity of 7,030 mw cannot continue generation for three days without additional fuel supplies, said the official, refusing to be named. The region has a total installed capacity of about 18,620 mw. Coal India supplies fuel to about 82% of the country’s coal-fired power plants and 98 out of 100 such plants use the company’s coal in varying proportions.

In North India, thermal power stations at Paricha (1,140 mw), Dadri (1,820 mw) and Unchahar (1,050 mw) are likely to suffer as they do not have adequate stocks. In western India, it is similar with Khaperkheda (1,340 mw) and Parli (1,130 mw) plants, while in the east, such plants include Durgapur Projects Ltd (630 mw), Kolaghat (1,260 mw) and Sagardighi.

The officers of the world’s largest coal producer have threatened to go on strike because their salaries have not been revised over the past six years despite repeated assurances from the government. The Coal Mines Officers’ Association of India served a three-day strike notice in February, demanding implementation of a variable pay system announced earlier, a new pension scheme and settling of disparity in salaries that had cropped up after salaries were revised twice.

“Salaries of the highest grade of workmen are now more than officers of junior and midlevel managers. We want this disparity to go,” said VP Singh, president of the association. “Although the last strike by officers at CIL was some 25 years ago, this time the strike looks imminent as the management or the ministry officials have not yet met us and it seems our demands are not likely to be met anytime before March 13.”

Coal production will come to a halt if 20,000 officials go on strike because the Mines Act stipulates that it is mandatory to conduct mining operations under the supervision of a certified mines manager, Singh pointed out. “These mines managers belong to the officers’ grade and would be on strike.”

In March, coal production and supplies are at the highest level and vary between 1.2 million tonnes (mt) per day and 1.3 mt per day, a Coal India official said. “This is mainly due to the pressure to meet production and supply targets for the year and also because the weather is fair enough to increase production as opposed to summer or winter.”