Bhagalpur: Power generation from five units of NTPC`s Kahalgaon thermal at Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district has come to a standstill due to coal shortage caused by `rail roko` agitation of irregular employees of the plant.
The power generation at the Kahalgaon thermal plant has been stopped since last night due to disruption in coal supply from the ECL`s Lalmatia coal mine following the `rail roko` stir by about 172 irregular employees demanding regularization of their services, the plant`s Deputy Manager (PR) A K Das said. At present, the Kahalgaon plant was producing power at about one-fourth of its capacity at 550 MW from the remaining two units against the total generation capacity of 2340 MW.
The agitating employees have blocked the rail tracks used for transporting coal to the power plant apparently to force the management to regularise their services, Das said.
He said that negotiations were going on with them, but it was not possible to accept their demand for regularization of services without advertising the vacancies.
Another group of about 300 irregular employees have also threatened to launch rail roko agitation from tomorrow to press for similar demands, which he said, would bring the power generation from Kahalgaon plant to a total halt.
Meanwhile, Kahalgaon`s Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Sanjay Kumar said that the district authorities were trying to negotiate with the irregular employees for withdrawal of agitation. PTI