Coal theft on rise at Talcher

ANGUL: Theft of coal is on the rise at Talcher Coalfield.With rise in quantity of stolen coal seized by the police, it is apparent that an organised racket is involved in the theft. There has been an increase in quantity of coal seized by not only Talcher police but also in neighbouring districts like Dhenkanal and Deogarh.

Coal seized by Barkote police in Deogarh district recently speaks volumes of the magnitude of the theft. Sources said Talcher police has seized more than 500 tonne of stolen coal so far. According to an unofficial estimate, scores of trucks smuggle stolen coal to outside the district during peak season which starts from September. The pilferage has resulted in huge revenue loss for the State Government and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL).

Eight open cast coal mines are located at Talcher and Kaniha. Coal extracted from these mines is kept in the open. Smugglers, taking advantage of the situation, and with the help of some unscrupulous MCL and police officials, lift the coal and smuggle it to various locations including Cuttack, Rourkela and Balasore. Coal is in great demand at the brick kilns.

The volume of the theft was so high last year that former MCL chief AK Jha had to rush to the secretary of the Home department to apprise him of the situation.He had demanded immediate steps to address the menace as it resulted in huge revenue losses for the State and Central governments.

The State Mining department officials claim adequate steps were taken to check the theft, including periodic raids.Contacted, DIG, North Central range Narasingh Bhol said, “We are taking multiple steps to check coal theft. We are now arresting the owners of the trucks besides drivers. We are also tracking the source and destination.”