The Orissa High Court on Monday directed the Ministries of Power, Coal, Mines and the Chairman of the Railway Board to resolve the crisis of coal supply to the National Aluminum Company in 24 hours.
The Nalco Officers’ Association had moved the High Court stating that coal supply from the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) had come down by 60% of the contracted demand. NALCO, the country’s biggest public sector aluminum manufacturer, was sourcing required coal by purchasing it through e-auction. The association urged that the MCL should be asked to restore the full supply of coal as agreed upon between the parties so that the smelter plant did not shut down.
The matter came up for hearing before a Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice S. Muralidhar and Judge R. K. Pattanaik.
