HYDERABAD: Stating that the BRS government had signed the agreement to import coal for the Yadadri power plant, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said he was ready to order an inquiry into the allegations raised by BRS working president KT Rama Rao.
“I am ready to order an inquiry into coal imports. KTR should specify what kind of inquiry he wants — by the CBI, ED, I-T, an independent agency or even a group of journalists. I am ready for an open inquiry in the people’s court,” Revanth said.
Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Revanth said the Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) was built in an area without coal blocks and its boilers were designed to use G-9 grade coal, which had to be imported.
Responding to an open letter Rama Rao had written to him earlier in the day, he rejected the allegations over coal imports and said the agreement had been signed on December 9, 2016, during the BRS regime.
The 4,000-MW plant required 14 million tonnes of coal annually, while the agreement provided for importing seven million tonnes of Grade-9 coal a year. Singareni had only two million tonnes of G-9 coal available, Revanth said. He added that the BRS government had also informed the Railways in writing of its plan to import the grade.
“Now the same BRS leaders are saying that G-9 coal should not be imported,” he said, questioning why they were opposing a decision taken during their own tenure. Revanth also questioned who was behind the coal import agreement and who had invested Rs 100 crore in the loss-making print media outlet owned by the BRS.
He further criticised the location of the Yadadri plant, alleging that it had been built at the expense of Singareni Collieries Company Limited. Had it been constructed at Manuguru in Khammam district, closer to coal reserves, the cost would have been lower, he said.
The chief minister said power generation cost Rs 4.62 per unit at Manuguru, Rs 3.94 at Kothagudem and Rs 4.05 at Singareni units 1 and 2. In comparison, the cost at Yadadri was Rs 6.60 per unit — Rs 2.20 more than at plants located near coal blocks.
He claimed that the additional burden from the plant’s construction amounted to Rs 50,000 crore a year and estimated the loss over the next 25 years at Rs 1 lakh crore. He also said the project, originally scheduled for completion within 36 months, had seen its estimated cost rise from Rs 17,950 crore to Rs 37,781 crore.
Revanth said the government was sourcing coal from the Naini coal block and was exploring the use of domestic coal for Yadadri. “I spoke with Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy today. We are trying to use indigenous coal for Yadadri,” he said.
CM challenges KCR over irrigation
Revanth further criticised the previous BRS government’s irrigation policies, alleging that water was being supplied to 400 acres belonging to the farmhouse of BRS president and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
He said a canal had been dug from Kondapochamma to Panchapandavula Cheruvu, from where water was being pumped directly to the land.
“Why does KCR enjoy this special facility? Shall we set up a fact-finding committee to investigate this? Why does KCR need this water supply? Will KCR come forward to disconnect the pump connections?” Revanth asked.
He urged people to examine whose fields were receiving water from Panchapandavula Cheruvu to understand who Telangana had been handed over to.