BJP conspiring to privatise Singareni: KTR

Hyderabad: Industries Minister KT Rama Rao charged that BJP-led NDA government was hatching a conspiracy to privatize Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana and assured that State leaders would stand by Singareni employees in their fight against the BJP government’s plans. “The coal mines of Singareni Collieries are big assets of Telangana. People will […]

Hyderabad: Industries Minister KT Rama Rao charged that BJP-led NDA government was hatching a conspiracy to privatize Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana and assured that State leaders would stand by Singareni employees in their fight against the BJP government’s plans.

“The coal mines of Singareni Collieries are big assets of Telangana. People will give a befitting reply to BJP for their moves to privatize Singareni,” Rama Rao said here on Monday.

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Strongly demanding allocation of coal mines directly to Singareni, the Industries Minister wrote a letter to Union Minister Prahlad Joshi.

The Minister found fault with the Centre for asking the SCCL to participate in the auction for JBROC-3, KK-6, Shravana Pally OC, Koyagudem coal mines instead of allocating them directly to the company. The Minister stated that the BJP government at the Centre was
conspiring to push Singareni into losses by refusing to allocate the
coal mines.

The Centre was supposed to allocate coal mines to strengthen the Singareni, which was running in profits. Instead, it was directing SCCL management to take part in an auction for mines. This is nothing but creating hurdles for Telangana and its development, the Industries Minister said.

The Minister explained that Singareni supplies coal to about 2000 industries in Telangana and privatization of Singareni will hamper the growth of the Industrial sector in Telangana.

The Industries Minister stated that SCCL was not just a coal mine but a gold mine, which facilitates employment to thousands of youth.

Employees of Singareni and the Telangana people will show their might in Delhi, if the BJP continues its attempts to privatize SCCL, he said, adding “This agitation will be much bigger than the agitation staged against the three farm laws,” In his letter, the Minister stated that in the past seven years Singareni had increased the production from 450 lakh tonnes to 670 lakh tonnes.

He also added that coal mining, revenue increase, profits, and expansion of the company also took place highlighting the growth of the company.

The Minister said that the thermal power plant run by Singareni hasthe best PLF in the country. Apart from Telangana, Singareni was providing coal to various thermal power plants in Maharashtra and other South Indian States. “Singareni is the only public sector
undertaking in the country to contribute 29 percent of the profits,” he said.

The Minister stated that BJP was planning to push Singareni into losses and then take up privatization exercise. Similarly, in Andhra Pradesh, the iron ore mines required for Vizag Steel Plant were not provided, which led to losses of the plant, and that plant will be
privatized soon, he reminded, adding about 27 requisition letters related to the Steel Plant were still pending with the Central government, he said.

Questioning the Centre as to why the coal mines were not allocated to Singareni directly like the Lignite mines allocated to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation in Gujarat, he stated “Under BJP Governance, there is one rule for Gujarat and another rule for Telangana! Is Telangana not a part of India?” he asked.

“Minister KTR stated that privatization of PSUs was a threat to the future of youth, especially dalits and tribals. The people of Telangana will teach a lesson to BJP if they don’t stop this conspiracy,” he said.

TRS warns of national-level stir

TRS MLAs on Monday accused the BJP government at the Centre of conspiring to privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). However, they warned that any such attempts will be thwarted by the TRS which will launch a national-level stir on the lines of the farmers’ protests against the Farm Laws.

Speaking to the media at the TRS Legislative Party office, Government Whip Balka Suman said the Centre leased out the lignite mines in Gujarat to a State-owned company but was refusing to give the four coal blocks to the State-owned company like SCCL. He questioned the Centre’s decision in this regard and accused the BJP government at the Centre of trying to undermine the progress of Telangana by weakening Singareni Collieries Company Limited. “The Centre appears to vengeful against Telangana. It will surely come down only when people confront the BJP leaders in the State and fight on the lines of the farmers’ protests against the Farm Laws,” he said.

Suman along with MLAs Methuku Anand and Chanti Kranthi Kiran stated that the BJP leadership was trying to mislead the people over the statements of Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao on the need to draft a new Constitution. They reminded that many union Ministers as well as Ministers of the BJP-ruled States, have criticised Dr BR Ambedkar on multiple occasions. They dared the BJP leadership to replicate the Dalit Bandhu scheme in their party-ruled States if they had any commitment towards upliftment of SCs rather than treating them like just vote banks.

Vikarabad MLA Methuku Anand said several amendments were made to the Constitution of India by the Central governments led by Congress, BJP and other political parties on several occasions. He said the Opposition parties were trying to create unnecessary ruckus over the issue. He stated that the Chief Minister had only intended to trigger a debate on the proposal. As was being demanded by the BJP leaders to file a case against the Chief Minister for his statements, he stated that if such a situation arises, the then union Home Minister Rajnath Singh who suggested removing the word ‘Secular’ from the Constitution, should be arrested first. He pointed out that union Ministers, as well as the Ministers of the BJP-ruled States, insulted the Constitution as well as Dr BR Ambedkar.

 

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