Telangana Industry & Commerce Minister KT Rama Rao attacked the BJP-led Union government on Monday, February 7, stating that a conspiracy was going on to privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana. “The coal of Singareni Collieries is a big asset for Telangana. People of Telangana will give a befitting reply to BJP for their act of privatising Singareni,” he said.
KTR stated that SCCL is not just a coal mine but a ‘gold mine’ that is giving employment to thousands of youth in Telangana. “Employees of Singareni and the people of Telangana will show their power in Delhi if the BJP continues its attempts to privatise the company. This agitation will be much bigger than the agitation staged against the three farm laws,” he said.
The Singareni mines are spread over 12 Assembly constituencies and four districts in the state — Komaram Bheem-Asifabad, Mancherial, Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpalli, Bhadradri Kothagudem and Khammam. The issues surrounding it are often important electoral ones for political parties in the state.
KTR also expressed anger over asking the SCCL to participate in an auction for some coal mines instead of allocating them directly to the company. “The Union government is supposed to allocate coal mines to strengthen the Singareni which is running in profits. Instead, they are asking the company to take part in an auction for mines. This is nothing but creating hurdles for Telangana and its development,” the minister said.
In a letter to Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, KTR strongly demanded the allocation of coal mines directly to Singareni. “In the past seven years, Singareni has increased the production from 450 lakh tonnes to 670 lakh tonnes,” he said, adding that revenue increase, profits, and expansion of the company also took place in this period.
The minister said that the thermal power plant run by Singareni has the best PLF (plant load factor) in the country. He added that the Singareni mines were providing coal not just within Telangana but also to various thermal power plants in Maharashtra and other south Indian states.
Minister KTR also stated that with the efforts of the Telangana government, Singareni workers, and management were in the news for making huge profits. “But once the company gets privatised, the only news would be the company’s downfall,” he said.
KTR questioned the Union government as to why the coal mines were not allocated to Singareni directly like the Lignite mines allocated to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation in Gujarat. “Under BJP governance, there is one rule for Gujarat and another rule for Telangana? Is Telangana not a part of India?” he asked.
“This sector plays a key role in jobs creation and privatisation of this sector is nothing but diluting the principles of Dr BR Ambedkar and going against reservations. We will not let this happen at any cost,” KTR said.