Despatches and production of coal from the mines of Coal India’s subsidiaries took a hit as operations were affected all over India.
Nearly five lakh tonnes of production and eight lakh tonnes of despatch were lost due to today’s strike, Coal India Ltd.Chairman S Narsing Rao told The Hindu .
Despatch was hit due to problems in the loading of coal as well as its movement by road and rail. Production was affected majorly in the mines in eastern India and also in the mines of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL), based in Chattisgarh. SECL is CIL’s single largest producer.
In the tea gardens of West Bengal, which account for a quarter of India’s annual tea production of about 1000 million tonnes, the strike had a partial effect, a senior official at the Indian Tea Association said. The financial sector saw a total shutdown with banks—private and public— downing their shutters. Picketing by the striking workers ensured that ATMs too remained shut in most of the areas. Bank officials said that in some places they were open but would be able to operate only till the machines have cash as reloading may not be possible.
