The Indian Newsprint Manufacturers' Association (INMA) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's direct intervention to resolve persistent coal supply disruptions, warning that irregular dispatches and inadequate allocations are constraining domestic production and threatening supplies to the print media industry.
In an urgent representation to the Prime Minister, the association, which represents manufacturers supplying newsprint to leading publications, including The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Navbharat Times, and Punjab Kesari, sought timely coal dispatches under existing fuel supply agreements (FSAs) with Coal India Limited (CIL) subsidiaries.
“Despite valid long-term agreements with subsidiaries, including Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL), manufacturers are not receiving allocated coal rakes according to agreed schedules,” INMA said.
“The shortages have forced mills to procure coal from the open market at exorbitant prices and rely on grid electricity at substantially higher costs to keep their plants operational,” the association said.
Prolonged delays followed by the sudden bunching of multiple coal rakes have added to financial and logistical pressures, creating challenges involving working capital, coal handling, storage capacity and transportation.
INMA warned that the supply constraints were preventing manufacturers from operating at optimal capacity, raising the risk of production cuts, domestic market disruptions and financial stress across the print media supply chain.
The association also urged the government to enforce the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)-recommended coal allocation ratio of 75:25 between the power and non-power sectors.
“More than 95% of coal supplies were reportedly being directed to power plants, leaving non-regulated sector (NRS) consumers, including newsprint manufacturers, struggling to secure adequate supplies despite contractual commitments,” INMA said.
It called for a review of the existing coal dispatch pattern and implementation of the recommended allocation ratio to ensure a more predictable supply of coal to non-power industries.
The association sought direct instructions to CIL and its subsidiaries to immediately resume timely, regular, and evenly scheduled dispatches against existing FSAs, in line with contractual allocations.
“Newsprint is a critical raw material for national and regional newspapers, and prolonged shortages could disrupt its availability in the domestic market, affecting publications across the country,” the association said.
INMA urged the government to address the issues on a priority basis, warning that sustained coal shortages could undermine domestic manufacturing capacity and jeopardise the uninterrupted supply of newsprint to India's print media industry.
Newsprint manufacturers warned that irregular dispatches and inadequate allocations are disrupting production and raising operating costs.
INMA said its members, which supply newsprint to leading newspaper groups, were not receiving allocated coal rakes in line with contractual schedules despite paying premiums for assured supplies.
“The shortages have forced manufacturers to buy coal from the open market at exorbitant prices and rely on grid electricity at substantially higher costs to keep plants running,” the association said.
The industry body sought urgent directions to Coal India and its subsidiaries, including Northern Coalfields Limited, Central Coalfields Limited, South Eastern Coalfields Limited and Western Coalfields Limited, to resume regular and evenly scheduled coal dispatches against existing fuel supply agreements.
Irregular dispatches to non-regulated sector (NRS) consumers have also resulted in the bunching of coal rakes, with multiple consignments arriving within short periods after prolonged delays.
“This creates logistical and financial pressures for manufacturers, including challenges involving working capital, coal handling, storage capacity and transportation,” INMA said.
The association warned that persistent shortages were preventing manufacturers from operating at optimal capacity, potentially affecting domestic newsprint availability and disrupting supplies to newspapers and other publications.
The association sought Prime Minister's personal intervention and directions to the authorities concerned, warning that continued delays could cause further production disruptions and threaten the uninterrupted supply of newsprint to India's print media industry.