The Indian Newsprint Manufacturers’ Association (INMA) has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s involvement in resolving ongoing coal supply problems, cautioning that uneven dispatches are constraining domestic output and could endanger newsprint availability for the country’s print media.
In a letter, the Delhi-based body, whose members provide newsprint to titles such as The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Navbharat Times and Punjab Kesari, said coal should be delivered on time under existing fuel supply agreements (FSAs) with Coal India Limited units, the financial media reported.
The subsidiaries named are Northern Coalfields, Central Coalfields, South Eastern Coalfields and Western Coalfields.
According to the association, its members hold valid long-term contracts and pay premiums for guaranteed supply, yet coal rakes are not arriving as scheduled. Mills have been pushed to purchase coal in the open market at what the association termed exorbitant rates, and to draw on far costlier grid power to keep their plants running.
The nature of the deliveries has added to the strain. After long gaps, several rakes often turn up within a short window, putting pressure on working capital, coal handling, storage space and transport logistics.
As a result, manufacturers say they cannot run at optimal capacity, which heightens the possibility of production cuts, a disrupted domestic newsprint market and financial stress along the print media supply chain.
A key demand is implementation of the 75:25 split in coal allocation between the power and non-power sectors, as recommended by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The association claims over 95% of coal is currently being routed to power plants, leaving non-regulated sector consumers, newsprint makers among them, short of supplies despite their contracts.
The association wants the government to revisit the present dispatch pattern and instruct Coal India and its subsidiaries to restart regular, evenly spaced deliveries in line with contracted quantities.
Describing newsprint as a vital raw material for national and regional newspapers, the association cautioned that extended shortages might affect its availability nationwide. It stressed that a balanced, predictable allocation policy is necessary to safeguard domestic manufacturing and maintain stable supply chains for essential industrial goods.
The body has requested the Prime Minister’s personal intervention, adding that prompt action would bring much-needed relief and head off further disruption to production.
