Privatizing Singareni: Sridhar Babu rules out

Privatizing Singareni | Hyderabad, Oct 15 (Maxim News): Telangana Minister D Sridhar Babu on Thursday, October 15, ruled out any move to privatize Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), accusing the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of mismanaging the coal mining company and making unfulfilled promises to its workers.

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Speaking to the media, Sridhar Babu hit back at BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) over his remarks on Singareni. The minister questioned whether KTR had remembered the state-owned coal company only after 12 years and alleged that the previous BRS government had treated Singareni like an “ATM.”

Sridhar Babu said the Congress government was conducting Singareni tenders transparently and alleged that false claims were being made to discredit the company. He also accused the previous government of leaving thousands of crores of rupees in arrears.
The minister questioned the role of KTR’s family members in the organisation during the previous decade and urged the BRS leader to stop what he described as diversionary politics.

Privatizing Singareni  | Sridhar Babu Blames Previous Government for Coal Production Issues

Sridhar Babu attributed the decline in Singareni’s production to the policies of the previous BRS government. He asked how many promises made to Singareni workers over the past 10 years had actually been fulfilled.

He also accused the previous government of favouring private interests, citing the allocation of the Tadicharla block to a private company.

The minister maintained that the Congress government had no plans to privatize Singareni and warned against attempts to undermine the company.

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Referring to coal quality, Sridhar Babu said Singareni supplies G9-grade coal and advised KTR to understand the facts before making public statements.

The minister also linked the coal supply situation to the operational requirements of the Yadadri Thermal Power Plant. He said the plant requires around 14 million tonnes of coal annually and questioned why the previous government had not increased production to meet that demand or focused on developing new units.

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According to Sridhar Babu, the coal supply issue has now become a challenge for the Yadadri plant. He said the Congress government had started supplying coal to the plant from the Naini Coal Block after assuming office, adding that technical supervision was being maintained from production through delivery.

Minister Calls Coal Shortage Allegations Political

Sridhar Babu dismissed allegations of a coal shortage as politically motivated. He also defended the existing tender system, arguing that the process introduced under the BRS government continued to be followed and questioning why it was being criticised now.

The minister alleged that Singareni contracts over the previous 10 years had largely gone to people associated with BRS leaders. He criticised KTR’s statements on the company and accused the opposition of ignoring the circumstances surrounding its operations.

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Sridhar Babu also raised the issue of contract workers, recalling that former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) had stated that there were no contract employees. He said the Congress government was now providing Dussehra bonuses to contract workers.

Reiterating the government’s position, Sridhar Babu said there was no question of privatizing Singareni. He maintained that the Congress government was committed to transparent tendering and coal supply management while holding the previous administration responsible for the challenges facing the company. (Maxim News).