Hyderabad: Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s Chief Whip MLA Balka Suman on Saturday said that the central government holds an agenda against the Singareni coal mines in the state. He also expressed concerns about the condition of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
Addressing the state legislative Assembly, Suman said that by seeing how the central government has put the Vizag steel plant up for sale, they expect the Singareni coal blocks to see the same fate. “The Singareni company is a way of life for its employees and residents. The centre had put up 4 coal blocks for auction, two of which are from my constituency- Chennur. The other two are from Koyagudem and Sathupalli,” he told the Assembly.
He said that when the Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) asked for lignite mines, they were given to them but when chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wrote to the Centre asking for the coal blocks to be given to the Singareni Company, they were denied and set up for auction.
“It’s clear to see that they have an agenda against Singareni. The land on which the exploration of coal blocks is already underway, costing Rs 58 crores— that is Singareni’s property and doesn’t belong to anyone else,” he remarked.
“If we (Singareni) don’t get these 4 blocks, we will not get the 14 blocks that will be held for auction after them. If that happens, it will be a devastating loss for Singareni,” he said.
He further asked that the District Mineral Fund (DMF) money be used around the Singareni coal belt to develop the area.
