“We were maintaining daily dispatches of some 56,000 tonnes, but it has now come down nearly 36,000 tonnes a day,” a senior company official said on condition of anonymity.

Two other NMDC officials said shipments were cut starting June 5 as there were only nine rail rakes now in use, compared to 14 rakes a week earlier. The affected mining complex—in the Bailadila hills of the central state of Chhattisgarh—had produced 77 per cent of the company’s total output of 28.52 million tonnes in the year ended March 31, 2009.

NMDC officials said supplies could normalise next week with the resumption of night trains.

Railway authorities suspended night freight trains following police intelligence alerts that Maoist rebels could target them to mark a week-long revolutionary week they were celebrating in the state.

The insurgents have taken effective control of large swathes of countryside in central and eastern parts of the country, scaring off potential investors while controlling land rich in minerals.

More than 1,000 attacks were recorded in 2009 and 600 people killed with attacks in recent months.

Passenger trains in some parts of eastern India also remain suspended at night after a train in West Bengal state derailed and smashed into a goods train last month, killing at least 145 people. The rebels ambushed and killed 76 CRPF personnel in April in an attack that underscored their growing strength.

Sourced from www.business-standard.com