BRS alleges coal worth Rs 1,600 crore shown in SCCL records without mining operations

KT Rama Rao has alleged irregularities involving 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal worth Rs 1,600 crore in SCCL records and sought a probe. He termed Balka Suman’s arrest politically motivated and accused the Congress government of targeting BRS leaders

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao has alleged that nearly 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal, valued at around Rs 1,600 crore, had been shown in Singareni records without actual mining operations being carried out. He demanded answers from both the State government and the Centre, which holds a 49 per cent stake in SCCL.

Speaking to newsmen after meeting former legislator Balka Suman in Chanchalguda jail on Thursday, Rama Rao said he would write to Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy seeking a probe into the scandal. He pointed out that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had been maintaining silence over the alleged scam.

---

The BRS working president termed the arrest of Balka Suman as politically motivated. He said the Congress government framed Suman to divert public attention from alleged irregularities in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).

Rama Rao pointed out that the BRS had been exposing several major scams since the Congress came to power, including an alleged Rs 15,000 crore Site Visitation Certificate fraud involving Chief Minister’s brother-in-law and irregularities in solar tenders raised by BRS leader T Harish Rao.

He said Suman was booked under the PDPP Act and jailed for supporting Singareni workers and raising irregularities within the coal company. He pointed out that even the court questioned the police excess and struck down some of the sections invoked against the former MLA.

Accusing the government of maintaining double standards, Rama Rao reminded that no action was taken against Revanth Reddy as the then PCC president, when he called for bombing of Pragathi Bhavan, or when Union Minister Bandi Sanjay threatened a surgical strike on Hyderabad’s Old City.

Rama Rao also said the Congress government failed Singareni workers by not convening the Medical Board for compassionate appointments for nearly 11 months. Instead, he said Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced a vigilance inquiry into around 19,000 succession jobs provided during the BRS regime, causing unnecessary anxiety among workers’ families.

He said Suman remained defiant and had urged party leaders to continue fighting for the rights of Singareni employees rather than worry about his imprisonment. “Jails and cases are nothing new to us,” he added, asserting that the BRS would continue its campaign until the alleged irregularities are brought to light.