Centre putting pressure on states to import coal by drastically reducing the allocation of coal to the power stations, accuse AIPEF

FP News Service

Mundi (Khandwa)

The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has taken strong objection to the directive to import coal re-issued by the Central Government on June 01, calling it an attempt by the Central Government to put undue pressure on the states and reiterated its demand that since the state is in a coal crisis.

The demand is not the fault of the power generating houses in the state, so the central government should bear the additional cost of importing coal.

Federation chairman Shailendra Dubey in his statement issued on Sunday here said that in the order issued by the Central Government on June 1, it has been said that the powerhouses of the states have not started the process of tender for import of coal till June 3 or have not given indent to Coal India for imported coal, their domestic coal allocation will be cut from June 7 and 70 per cent of the allocation will be given to them.

Not only this, it is further written in the order that in case of non-importation of coal, the domestic coal allocation of such powerhouses will be further reduced, from June 15, they will be given only 60 per cent coal of the allocation.

Dubey, terming the order as arbitrary, has urged the Chief Ministers of all the states of the country to strongly oppose it in the interest of the public.

It is noteworthy that many states including Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Haryana have decided not to import coal.

He said that on the one hand, the Central Government has been claiming till April that the production of Coal in India is larger than the previous year and there is no crisis of coal, on the other hand, on the contrary, the Central Government is saying that Power houses import coal and now this coal import program has been extended till 31 March 2023.

He said that most of the thermal power stations in the states are not designed for imported coal. Blending imported coal will increase tube leakages in their boilers.

He said that the shortage of rakes of railways is being cited as the main reason. In such a situation, how this coal will be transported to the thermal power stations located several thousand kilometres away from the imported coal which will come to the ports, should also be told to the Union Power Minister.

The Federation has again stated that the present coal crisis has arisen due to the acute lack of coordination between the various ministries of the Central Government--Power, Coal and Railways. Therefore, undue pressure should not be put on the states to import coal and if the states are forced to import coal, then the central government should bear the additional burden of imported coal.

Supporting the demand of the Federation, Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board Engineers Union has opposed the purchase of foreign coal in the country including Madhya Pradesh under the pressure of the Central Government. And the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board Engineers Association expects the Madhya Pradesh government to take decisions in the interest of the consumers without accepting the pressure of the central government like the state of Uttar Pradesh.