HYDERABAD: Union Coal & Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday alleged that the previous BRS government led by K Chandrashekar Rao and the present Congress dispensation under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy were responsible for the financial distress of Singareni Collieries Company Limited. He accused both of failing to secure new coal blocks and burdening the public sector company with massive dues.
Addressing the media in New Delhi, he claimed that due to the policies of both governments, Singareni is burdened with outstanding dues of nearly `54,000 crore, one of the highest among public sector undertakings in the country.
Recalling the NDA government’s earlier support, Kishan said that Singareni was once struggling under the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, but the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government rescued the company by granting a moratorium on `684 crore in loans and extending an additional `525 crore financial assistance.
He said that the Modi government continues to support Singareni in the spirit of cooperative federalism and has consistently taken steps for its long-term sustainability. He said following the 2014 Supreme Court judgment, the Centre began allocating coal blocks through a transparent auction process.
“While other public sector undertakings participated in auctions and secured coal mines, the KCR government refused to participate due to its stubborn attitude,” he added.
As a result, he said, Singareni witnessed declining production, shortages of quality coal and mounting financial stress, further aggravated by state-run power generation companies failing to clear dues for coal supplied by SCCL.
Expedite Tadicherla operations: Vivek
Hyderabad: Minister for Skill, Human Capital & Knowledge Training Initiatives G Vivek Venkatswamy on Monday met Union Coal & Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi and urged him to expedite the mining operations in Tadicherla Block 2. He also requested the Union minister to ensure a minimum monthly pension of `10,000 for retired staff of the SCCL.
Union minister urges Genco to withdraw from PKOC auction
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday said after the BJP government assumed office in Odisha, all the required clearances were secured, enabling production at the Naini block to commence in 2024. He also stated that the Centre resolved legal hurdles concerning the Tadicherla-2 coal block to facilitate its allocation to Singareni, keeping Telangana’s future energy security in mind.
He also referred to the recently auctioned Prakasam Khani Open Cast (PKOC) Dip Side Extension near Manuguru in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, saying the Centre wants the block to be allotted to Singareni. He said labour unions had also demanded that SCCL be allowed to secure the block through the auction process.
However, Telangana Genco had entered the tender process in competition with Singareni despite already being allotted the Tadicherla-1 captive mine, where mining operations had reportedly been handed over to private Mine Developer and Operator (MDO) agencies instead of Singareni, he said.
He appealed to Telangana Genco to withdraw from the bidding process so that the PKOC Dip Side Extension could be allotted to Singareni. He also announced that he would write to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on the issue. According to the Minister, these projects could generate a turnover of nearly `1.95 lakh crore for Singareni while providing around `40,000 crore in revenue to the Telangana government.
