KOTHAGUDEM: Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) Chairman and Managing Director N Sridhar stated that the company was planning to set up 300 MW solar power plants across the coal mining belt. The first phase of the solar plants construction is expected to be completed by the end of March 2020. He also said that they had already constructed a 1200 MW thermal plant, which was producing around 30 per cent of the power in the State, and was also earning Rs 400 crore per year. He further said that the company was planning to expand in different sectors.
The Chairman appealed to all employees to work hard to achieve 1,000 milion tonnes of coal production this year. He recalled that with the hard work of officials and the employees, they could achieve their targets. He urged the employees to make more coal production than last year.
He reminded that the SCCL had a vast history and had been for the past few decades been producing and providing coal to about 2,000 different industries in the country. Lakhs of people have been getting employment directly and indirectly through the company.
The organisation has produced around 300 million tonnes of coal in the past five years, as against the 1425 million tons produced since the organisation was founded. He said that before the formation of Telangana state, they had produced around 504 lakh tonnes coal in 2013 - 2014. After the State formation, they were able to produce 644 lakh tonnes coal in 2018-2019.
The Formation Day celebrations of the company that were held on Monday were also disrupted by protestors - those who lost their land under the open cast mining at Yellandu in Kothagudem.The agitators alleged the company failed to provide jobs to those who had lost their lands under the open cast mining at Yellandu.
They stated that the company had taken lands from 600 persons for the mine by assuring them that they would be provided compensation and employment around 10 years ago. Even though the victims had approached the court and the court had ruled in their favour, the officials are still not responding to their issue.