The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) has made announcement about the setting up of a medical college and hospital at the industrial town of Talcher.

The decision has been taken at a meeting between Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Coal India Limited (CIL) Chairman Parthasarathi Bhattacharya.

Mr. Patnaik, during the conference, placed a proposal before Mr. Bhattacharya to upgrade the existing 100 bed MCL hospital at Talcher to a 400-bedded hospital, and also to set up a full-fledged Medical College there.

The sources said that Mr. Bhattacharya promptly agreed to the plan.

He also said that MCL will set up a model rehabilitation centre for the tribals who had been displaced due to mining of coal.

He said that the rehabilitation centre will be an ideal centre of tribal culture and modern education.

He also informed that MCL will bring its own rehabilitation and resettlement policy (R&R) in order to secure the rights of the displaced families.

Besides, the policy will be community based and stress on the needs of the stakeholders.

As a part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), MCL will also deploy more mobile dispensary units in the mining areas.

The new R&R plan will be circulated in the next 4-5 days after getting approval from the CIL board.

Describing the planned R&R policy as matchless, Mr. Bhattarcharya stated that the new policy would concentrate on the overall development of the community instead of only prviding jobs to the affected people and the land oustees.

He announced that the CIL’s employment plan will be made more flexible in the coming days.

CIL chairman also declared that the coal crisis in the State (Orissa) will be finished within the next three months.

Coal production has been fixed at 100 million tonnes by 2008-09. Bhattarcharya apprised the CM of the new production target fixed by MCL.

The Chief Minister referred to increase in temperature in the Talcher region and underscored the need for massive plantation.