By Anjali Singh Deswal-
BATHINDA: Coal stock with all the three thermal plants of the state is decreasing day-by-day. Some respite is there due to some amount of coal coming in from Coal India but if the strike going on in Jharkhand’s coal mines don’t end soon then the thermal plants can stop working soon. Records state that as of now, the stock available with the thermal plants will last for 11 days only.
Panam company is supplying coal to the thermal plants of Punjab at the moment from Jharkhand. But due to the ongoing strike at coal mines the supply to Punjab has got affected.
Coal stock for at least 20 days has to be there at all thermal plants but recent figures revealed that coal stock at Guru Gobind Singh thermal plant in Lehra Mohabbat is for 11 days only, Guru Nanak Dev thermal plant in Bathinda has a coal stock for 13 days and Ropar thermal plant is left with a stcok for 12 days only.
The consumption of coal has however seen a downfall with two units being closed at the Bathinda thermal plant but thermal plant at Lehra Mohabbat is consuming 3,500 metric ton of coal every day and the stock remaining at the plant is about 1,32,000 metric ton.
Deputy chief engineer of the powercom Baldev Singh Sarao said that powercom was taking coal from Coal India and this was giving some relief to them. Apart from this with one unit being closed down at the Lehra Mohabbat thermal plant, there has been some decline in the coal usage but if the strike is not called off soon then the plant can face problem.
Jharkhand government has been contacted in this regard. Deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal also stated that to ensure regular coal supply to the state, the Jharkhand government has been contacted. The supply will resume very soon, he added.
