Talabira, 28 January 2026 : Talabira II & III OCP Mines have remained shut since 20 January 2026 due to an illegal and forceful stoppage by certain groups from Patrapali village making unlawful demands. The disruption has created fear among workers and contractors, halted operations and triggered a serious economic and social crisis.
Talabira II & III mine is owned by NLC India Ltd, a Central PSU of Govt of India. Mine has been running successfully for last 5 years meeting coal requirement of various consumers across Odisha and other states. Mine operations has resulted in significant Socio Economic developement generating employment opportunities for several hundred local persons and Project Affected Persons.
Over 1,200 workers have already lost wages and are facing financial distress as Contractors were forced to declare \u201cNo Work \u2013 No Pay.\u201d Due to illegal stoppage of Mine Operations, around 2,000 trucks involved in daily coal transportation are stranded, causing major losses to transporters.
Coal supply to key power utilities\u2014including NTPC, DVC and NTPL\u2014has been affected, posing risks to uninterrupted power generation across multiple states.
The shutdown is resulting in significant loss of government revenue from coal production at Talabira mines by way of Royalty, DMF, NMET, GST and other statutory levies. Ongoing CSR and community welfare initiatives, including health and development programmes, have been interrupted.
The situation has raised law\u2011and\u2011order concerns as prolonged joblessness, uncertainty and financial pressure could lead to further unrest.
Yesterday hundreds of workers submitted representation to District Administration for resuming operations and savings their livelihood.
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