KHAMMAM : Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon and request him to allocate coal blocks in Telangana to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). Disclosing this on Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that he will attend the auction of coal block in Hyderabad on Friday. “I will submit a representation to Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy to stop the auction of coal blocks in Telangana,” he said.
Vikramarka, who also holds the Energy portfolio, said: “The process of auction of coal blocks will start on Friday, but the actual allocation will take place after two months. I will attend tomorrow’s meeting and request the Union minister to allocate Telangana coal blocks to Singareni.”
Recalling that Revanth, when in Opposition, requested the Centre not to auction coal blocks in the state, Vikramarka said that, if necessary, the chief minister would also lead an all-party delegation to the PM opposing the auction of coal blocks.
Vikramarka alleged that BRS leaders speaking against Congress government regarding the auction of coal blocks were actually to be blamed as the pink party MPs did not obstruct a Bill in Parliament in February 2015 which favoured the auction of coal blocks in the country.
He accused the previous BRS government of playing a key role in allocating Koyagudem and Sattupalli mines to two companies — Aurobindo and Avanthika — allegedly close to the family of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Vikramarka also accused the previous BRS regime of hatching a conspiracy to dilute Singareni. “KCR never wanted SCCL to participate in coal block auctions in the state but wanted it to participate in coal block auctions in Odisha,” the deputy chief minister alleged.
He pointed out that the two coal mines in Koyagudem and Sattupalli given to Aurobindo and Avanthika were unable to even start production. He requested the Union government to allocate those two coal mines to Singareni at a 5% excess price.
Stating that new mines were necessary for Singareni, the deputy chief minister said that if new mines were not allocated by 2031, Singareni would not be able to continue operations.
BRS will scrap allocation, says KTR
Finding fault with the decision of Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka to attend the coal block auction in Hyderabad on Friday, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Thursday warned the prospective bidders that the BRS would come to power after four-and-a-half years and revoke the decision of allocating coal blocks to private players. Speaking to reporters here, Rama Rao alleged that the BJP and Congress were hatching a conspiracy to privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)
Cong govt will protect interests of Telangana, avers Bhatti
The deputy chief minister alleged that BRS leaders were slinging mud on the grand old party over the coal blocks auction but the fact was that the Congress government would protect the interests of the state.
Vikramarka said that there were still two months for the allocation of coal mines and only the process would commence in Hyderabad on Friday. “Of the 60 coal blocks proposed to be auctioned, only one — Sravanapalli — is in the state,” the deputy chief minister said, adding that the Congress government would do everything possible to protect the interests of the state as well as Singareni.
Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao and others were present at the press meet.