SCCL CMD warns contractors on OB targets as VKCM strike hits coal production

Coal production at SCCL's VKCM mine in the Kothagudem region has remained stalled for the past five days due to a strike by contract workers demanding a 20 per cent annual bonus. Amid the disruption, SCCL CMD Dr Buddhaprakash Jyoti directed contracting agencies to meet overburden removal targets and warned against negligence that could affect coal production goals.

Kothagudem: As the SCCL CMD Dr. Buddhaprakash Jyoti has directed the contracting agencies to ensure that overburden removal operations in opencast mines in the Kothagudem region are in line with the set targets, production work at the company’s VKCM mine has remained halted for the past five days.

The production was affected as the contract workers hired by Shodha Constructions Private Limited, which was engaged in overburden (OB) removal and coal extraction at VKCM, were on strike under the banner of VK Coal Mine Contract Workers JAC over the payment of 20 percent annual bonus.

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At a meeting with the Directors and General Managers in Hyderabad on Saturday, the CMD further instructed the agencies involved to deploy an adequate number of machines and human resources to meet the production requirements.

SCCL has to supply 75,000 tonnes of coal daily to the thermal power plants of TG GENCO. To reach the coal production goals, a daily target of 1.415 million cubic metres of OB removal has been set across all operational areas; specifically, the four areas under the Kothagudem region were tasked with removing 0.55 million cubic metres of overburden per day, he said.

If there were issues hindering the achievement of the overburden removal targets, the contracting agencies should bring them to the notice of the SCCL officials. The management would not remain indifferent to any agencies that show negligence in the removal of overburden, the CMD warned.

The CMD’s caution was seen as an indirect reference to Shodha Constructions, which remained adamant about not accepting the workers’ demand for a 20 percent bonus, resulting in the strike by the workers.

Meanwhile, the JAC leaders and contract workers staged a protest at the VKCM here as their strike continued for the fifth day on Saturday. INTUC leader Jetti Mohan Rao stated that the Shodha Constructions has adopted a harsh stance in response to the workers’ legitimate demands.