AIPEF flays Centre’s deadline for states to buy imported coal
LUCKNOW : The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has termed the Centre’s fresh directives on Wednesday as an attempt to pressurise states to buy expensive imported coal.
It also reiterated its demand that the Centre should bear the additional cost to be entailed due to the purchase of imported coal since the state power generating houses were not responsible for the electricity crisis.
In a statement, AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey on Wednesday said the order issued by the Central government stated that the thermal power stations that did not place an order for imported coal by May 31, and start blending imported coal by June 15, would have to import 15% coal instead of 10% till October 31.
The Centre has also said that after June 1, 5% less domestic coal will be allocated to thermal power stations that had not ordered imported coal.
“This is clearly an inappropriate response and an unjustified bid to put pressure on states to buy imported coal without taking financial ramifications into account,” he said.
He said that on the one hand, the Central government had been claiming till April that the production of Coal India was higher than what it was during the previous year and there was no crisis of coal, on the other hand, it was also saying that the powerhouses should import coal.
Dubey said that most of the thermal power stations in the states were not designed for imported coal. Blending imported coal, according to him, would increase tube leakages in their boilers.
“Also, shortage of railway rakes was being cited as the main reason for coal crisis in thermal plants. In such a situation, how will this imported coal be transported to the thermal power stations located several thousand kilometres from ports?” he questioned.
AIPEF chairman alleged that the current coal crisis was due to a lack of coordination among various Central government departments.