HYDERABAD: Opposing the auction of coal blocks in the State, BRS working president KT Rama Rao called for a Maha Dharna on Saturday, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Hyderabad. Rama Rao recalled that the Prime Minister, during his visit to Ramagundam on November 11, 2022, assured that Singareni would not be privatised. But the PM did not stand by his assurance, Rama Rao said, and wanted to know how the former would respond to the issue during his coming visit to the State.
Vehemently opposing the Union government’s attempts to privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), Rama Rao wanted the people and SSCL workers to organise dharnas on Saturday. Stating that the Centre issued a notification for auctioning of coal blocks in Sattupalli Block 3, Shravan Palli, Penagadapa, he demanded that the auctioning process, which is scheduled to be carried out from March 29 to May 30, be rolled back.
He also demanded that the coal blocks be allocated to SCCL without auctioning.“BRS leaders and activists along with Singareni employees will protest against the Centre’s decision in Mancherial, Kothagudem, Ramagundam on April 8,” Rama Rao said in a statement here on Thursday.
He said that the Centre was conspiring to push Singareni, which is currently reaping profits, into losses by not allocating the coal blocks. “The Centre sold away many profit-making Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs),” he said and added that Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) was pushed into losses by not being allocated mines.
Stating that Telangana would strongly oppose “the Centre’s conspiracy against PSUs”, he said that Chief Minister and BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao has already written to the Centre, stating that the coal blocks should be allotted to SCCL. He recalled that a large number of lignite reserves were allocated to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) following the nomination method.
However, the request to allocate coal blocks to SCCL was not considered by the Centre, he said. The Prime Minister was generous towards Gujarat and discriminated against progressive Telangana, he added.