HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday rubbished Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy’s claim that the NDA government allocated the Tadicherla-2 coal block to Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) bypassing the auction process.
Speaking to reporters at Praja Bhavan, Vikramarka pointed out that the Tadicherla-2 coal block had been allotted to SCCL in 2013 by the UPA government and that the Coal Ministry had only recently granted prior approval for the mining lease. He asserted that it was not a fresh allocation and alleged that the BJP-led NDA government had delayed granting the lease despite repeated requests from Telangana.
Vikramarka said the delay had prevented SCCL from commencing mining operations in the block, causing significant losses to the company. However, he welcomed the Centre’s decision to finally grant the mining lease approval.
“Since the Congress government came to power in the state, we have consistently pursued the matter with the Centre. It is only because of our efforts that the mining lease approval was finally granted,” he said, while demanding that all coal blocks located in Telangana be allotted to SCCL.
UPA govt allotted coal block in 2013, says Bhatti
Vikramarka said the then Coal Ministry had allotted the Tadicherla-2 coal block to SCCL on September 16, 2013, following requests made by the company between 2010 and 2012. He said the allocation letter had specified that, as the block included tribal land, mining could be undertaken only by a public sector undertaking. The Centre had also directed SCCL to expedite exploration and development activities and commence coal production at the earliest.
He said that after the Congress assumed office in Telangana, he had personally met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Coal Minister several times seeking prior approval for the mining lease. He said he had submitted representations to Kishan on March 7, 2024, and again on May 20, 2026. Referring to coal-bearing areas in Manuguru and Yellandu in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, he said they fall under the provisions of the 1/70 Tribal Land Regulation, under which tribal communities enjoy land rights while mining can be undertaken only by public sector entities. He maintained that all coal blocks located in SCCL operational areas governed by the Tribal Land Regulation should be allotted exclusively to SCCL.
Despite these legal provisions, the Centre auctioned the Koyagudem-3 Open Cast Block near Yellandu and the Open Cast Dip Side Mine at Manuguru to private players, he alleged, calling the move a violation of the law. He demanded that the Centre take back the two blocks from private firms and allot them to SCCL. Instead of auctioning coal blocks in the Godavari Valley region, the Centre should allot them directly to SCCL through the government-to-government (G2G) mechanism, taking into account tribal land laws and local conditions, he said.