Bhatti Vikramarka seeks Centre’s support for Singareni expansion plans

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met Union Minister G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi and sought Central support for Singareni expansion plans, coal gasification initiatives, Koyyagudem Block-III allocation and faster processing of the Tadicherla Block-III mining lease.

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy in New Delhi on Wednesday and sought the Central government’s support for expansion plans of Singareni Collieries Company Limited, including coal gasification initiatives, allocation of Koyyagudem Block-III and expediting the mining lease for Tadicherla Block-III.

Kishan Reddy responded positively, assuring that a joint meeting of Central and State officials and Singareni representatives would be convened shortly to discuss all the issues concerned.

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During their meeting, Bhatti Vikramarka said Telangana was keen on adopting coal gasification technologies on the lines of Coal India and stressed the need to move beyond conventional thermal power generation. He said Singareni was exploring modern technologies to improve the utilisation of coal resources to strengthen energy security, industrial output and employment.

He requested the Centre to extend technical guidance, policy support and assistance under relevant Central schemes.

The Deputy Chief Minister also raised the pending allocation of Koyyagudem Block-III in the Godavari Valley Coalfields. He pointed out that despite being auctioned, mining had not commenced even after four years. He urged the Centre to allocate the block directly to Singareni in view of Telangana’s future power needs.

Discussing the mining lease for Tadicherla Coal Block-III, he said Singareni had completed preliminary exploration and pre-mining activities and sought prior approval under Section 5 of the MMDR Act, 1957, to accelerate the lease process.