Coal India Ltd. unit Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. resumed operations at its Talcher coalfields following protests by local villagers over the death of a goat at the site, Reuters and Press Trust of India reported Oct. 1.
Protesters were reportedly demanding 60,000 Indian rupees for the dead goat, which was accidentally killed by a coal transportation tipper. People trespassing into the mine to pick coal, firewood and graze their livestock remains an issue at the site, according to the reports, citing a company spokesman.
The disruption caused a downtime of 3.5 hours, which cost the company 26.8 million rupees and the government exchequer 4.6 million rupees. Operations only resumed after police intervened. The company filed a police complaint against the protesters, the reports said.
As of Sept. 30, US$1 was equivalent to 70.65 rupees.
