KOTHAGUDEM/PEDDAPALLI | March 29, 2017:

The State-owned coal mining giant Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) produced 60.30 million tonnes of coal till March 27 as against the internal annual production target of 66.06 million tonnes and official target of 58 million tonnes for the current fiscal.

Though the company surpassed its official coal output target for the current fiscal four days ahead of the stipulated time-frame, it may miss the ambitious internal production target of 66.06 million tonnes if the ongoing pace of production amid severe heat wave conditions prevailing in the coal belt region, is any indication.

The premier coal production company may not repeat the 15% growth in production this fiscal, the stupendous feat which it achieved through persistent coordinated efforts in previous fiscal (2015-16).

Propelled by the pressing need for scaling up coal production to meet the burgeoning coal needs of the State, the SCCL management had stipulated the ambitious internal target of 66.06 million tonnes for the current year in line with its goal to achieve 100 million tonnes production mark in the next three years.

However, multiple factors including the delay in commissioning of a few coal mines for want of mandatory clearances and overhaul of giant mining equipment, among others, posed hurdles to the SCCL's production endeavours.

Methane gas leakage in the more than five-decade-old PVK 5 shaft in Kothagudem area took a heavy toll on coal production for a few weeks in July last year. Despite various barriers, the Kothagudem area comprising two underground mines and two OCPs topped the remaining ten areas of the company in despatching coal in the present financial year. The area despatched 91 lakh tonnes of coal up to Monday, sources said.

The Kothagudem area has so far produced around 92 lakh tonnes of coal as against the annual output target of 98.75 lakh tonnes. The delay in operationalisation of the JVR OCP-II posed a major impediment.

Only four divisions of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) - RG-3, Bellampalli, RG-1 and Bhupalapalli have achieved cent per cent production of the coal days before the completion of the financial year.

The Kothagudem, Illendu, Manuguru, RG-2, Mandamarri and Srirampur division failed to achieve the targets. Interestingly, out of the coal produced 50.76 million tonnes was from Opencast Project Coal Mines (OCPs) and remaining 9.50 million tonnes from the Underground (UG) mines. Production in the SCCL having 16 OCPs and 29 UG mines in 11 divisions, was hampered due to incessant rains during the monsoons.

(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)