Another 500 Mw unit of 3000 Mw NTPC-Kaniha thermal power plant was shut down today due to lack of coal supply on the fifth day of Talcher rail blockade.So far five out of six units of the plant have been put out of operation due to coal crisis.
According a top NTPC official, the Unit-2, linked to eastern grid, has been shut down today. Only one unit, Unit no 4, linked to southern grid, is kept running with a lot of difficulties as the plant has to keep at least one unit in operation. The 500 MW Unit 4 is generating 400 MW.The power generation of NTPC-Kaniha, which was 3000 Mw daily before the crisis, has come down to 400 Mw today, regretted the official stating that this has led to sharp fall in power supply to 17 consuming states.
The coal authorities managed to supply three rakes (10000 tonnes) of coal from Lingaraj coal mine to Kaniha plant through Merry-go-round system today. However, it was stopped in the afternoon by the rail roko activists, who led by local MLA Bjraja Kishore Pradhan, squatted on the rail track near the mine.
N N Mishra, director (operations), meanwhile, rushed to the Kaniha plant and held an emergency meeting with the local officials. He is learnt to have gone to Bhubaneswar to take up the matter with the state officials.
Meanwhile, the economic blockade imposed by locals continued on fifth day today peacefully. The Local MLA who is leading the agitation has boycotted the high level meeting being held at state secretariat by the transport secretary.
“First the Railways should restore the suspended passenger trains to the Talcher station before talks are resumed”, said Pradhan.
It may be noted that in the wake of the strike, the Railways had suspended existing trains to the station.
As the coalmines were off from the purview of the agitation, all the seven open cast mines operated normally but there was no coal despatch due to blockade of rail track near the station.
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