Despite the coronavirus-induced production disruptions, the Kothagudem Area of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has charted out an ambitious action plan to bolster its coal production to meet its annual production target of 145.50 lakh tonnes in 2020-21 fiscal.
The State-owned coal mining giant has resumed production in all its underground mines after lifting the pandemic-forced nearly 50-days layoff from the first shift of Thursday.
During the layoff period, the mechanised sections of as many as five underground mines and all the open cast projects (OCPs) continued production without any break across the coal belt region in 11 areas of the company, sources said.
The entire operations in a total of 22 underground mines/departments with an estimated workforce of 22,000 remained suspended during the layoff period in the company’s 11 areas spanning across various districts in the State.
Production halted
In the Kothagudem Area, the layoff has brought the coal production to a halt in the PVK 5 incline and the Load Haul Dump (LHD)-operated section of the VK 7 incline in the past 50 days, sources added.
However, the Kothagudem Area consisting of two each underground coal mines and OCPs has achieved its stipulated annual output target of 133.75 lakh tonnes for 2019-2020 within the set timeframe, SCCL sources said.
“We have focused our attention on ensuring the safety and health of the workforce while pursuing our growth plans to ramp up coal production and achieve the set output target of 145.50 lakh tonnes this fiscal,” said the SCCL’s Kothagudem Area General Manager Narasimha Rao.
Distancing norms
Continuous efforts are underway to motivate the workforce strictly adhere to the company’s advisories on prevention of coronavirus in the form of displaying banners and administering pledges, he told The Hindu.
With the full fledged operationalisation of the Kistaram OCP in Sattupalli mandal, the Kothagudem Area received a major impetus in pursuit of the ambitious production target.
