Chatra — Coal transportation from Central Coalfields Limited’s (CCL) Amrapali and Chandragupta projects in Chatra district has been completely stalled for seven days, as truckers continue their indefinite strike against alleged police extortion.
The agitation, which started on November 12, has paralysed coal movement, causing heavy daily financial losses to both CCL and the state government. Officials caution that continued disruption may soon affect fuel supplies to several NTPC-operated thermal power plants.
Truck operators allege that police posted along the Tandwa–Simaria route, especially near Khadhaiya, demand illegal payments ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 per truck. They claim that the officer-in-charge of Tandwa police station stops vehicles at night and demands money by citing fabricated violations such as poor headlights, overheated engines, torn tarpaulins or faulty speed meters.
The Chatra belt typically dispatches nearly 60,000 tonnes of coal daily from mines including Chatti Bariatu, Amrapali, Katkamsandi, KD Mines (Pandu), Tori, Dakra, RCR and Magadh. With operations halted, transporters say the entire supply chain has collapsed.
On Sunday, striking operators met at the Chundru Dham ground in Keredari, restated their concerns, and expressed fears of continued harassment through false penalties and cases. They decided to petition the Chief Minister seeking urgent action.
The crisis sparked political response on Monday, with Leader of the Opposition and BJP state president Babulal Marandi accusing the government of enabling corruption. He alleged that part of the extorted money “reaches the highest levels of power” and remarked that the public “suffers more from police extortion than from criminals.”
With inputs from IANS