OCPL yet to serve purpose of supplying coal to OPGC

Even though it was formed with a 76-per cent Government share to supply coal to the Odisha Power Generation Company (OPGC) five years back, the Odisha Coal and Power Limited (OCPL) seems to not have served the purpose yet. Rather, the company has diverted from its own course, escalating its project costs.

The Union Ministry of Coal had allocated the Manoharpur and Dip side Manoharpur coal blocks to the OPGC in 2007. Then in OPGC, the Government and AES had 51 per cent and 49 per cent shareholding, respectively. But in 2015, the Union Government amended the MMDR Act following cancellation of coal blocks by the Supreme Court in 2014. According to the amended Act, coal blocks can be allocated to any Government company which has a minimum of 76 per cent share owned by the Government.