Workers of SECL's mines go on three-day strike in C'garh

The strike is a fallout of the failed talks between Coal India trade unions and the Central government on Wednesday over the issue of allowing commercial coal mining. Workers of the SECL's mines staged protests at various places in Korba, Koriya, Surajpur and Raigarh districts, said Deepesh Mishra, area general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

Coal production is likely to be affected in the South Eastern Coalfields Limited's (SECL) mines in Chhattisgarh, as workers went on a three-day strike starting Thursday to protest against the Centre's decision on commercial coal mining. The strike is a fallout of the failed talks between Coal India trade unions and the Central government on Wednesday over the issue of allowing commercial coal mining.

Workers of the SECL's mines staged protests at various places in Korba, Koriya, Surajpur and Raigarh districts, said Deepesh Mishra, area general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). At least 17,000 workers joined the protest in Korba district alone and raised slogans against the move in front of the central workshop of Manikpur coal mines, he said.

"Our demands mainly include withdrawal of the decision regarding commercial coal mining and stopping moves to weaken or privatise Coal India Limited and SECL," he added. Coal production and transportation will be severely hit due to the strike, Mishra claimed.

According to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) leader V M Manohar, the SECL has its three mega projects - Gevra, Kusmunda and Dipka in Korba district and workers of these mines fully support the agitation. Meanwhile, a public relation officer of the SECL at its headquarters in Bilaspur said the impact on coal production cannot be assessed on the first day of the strike, but if the protest continues for the next two days, it will severely affect production causing a huge loss to the company.

The SECL's coal reserves are spread across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where it operates 43 mines in Korba, Koriya, Raigarh and Surajpur districts, he added..

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