RANDOM COAL CRISIS IN TALCHER AREA – PEOPLE DEMAND GOVT. COAL DEPOT.
Dhiramohan Ray,Odishabarta
TALCHER:Talcher is famous for producing of coal all over the country and there is a severe shortage of fuel for day to day lives. Due to the coal mines people have lost their lands, houses, and buildings, and hundreds of acres of forest have been destroyed. People are dependent on gas or coal for burning wood meant for the people as not even a single piece of wood is brought from the rest of the forest left by the government.
Due to the huge increase in the price of gas and its cost-effectiveness, the general public is considering the use of coal at a low cost instead of using large amounts of gas. There is no such thing as a government coal depot here. All that is being used is stolen coal. Even though Talcher is a coal producing area, the residents of the area are deprived of buying a coal piece. Common people are forced to use coal as fuel on a daily basis by giving money to some dishonest men, who secretly bring coal from the nearby mining areas and sell it. Those who die here also have to be cremated with stolen coal. From birth to death, the common man has to rely on stolen coal. Even after death, a person cannot be cremated unless he steals coal. Or after the death some security guard of MCL has to go and be approched for some coal to bury the dead body. Despite the demands for the Government Coal Depot, no arrangements can be made. It has been demanded that a government depot be set up immediately for the provision of coal to the people of nearby areas in priority bassis,as the wood is now dream for Talcher rigion.