Centre can’t privatise SCCL, State owns 51 pc: Jagdish Reddy

Hyderabad: Energy Minister G Jagdish Reddy on Friday said the Central government can’t privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) since the State government owns 51 per cent share in the company. “If the Centre, however, has any such plans, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will launch a massive agitation to stall them,” he said during […]

Hyderabad: Energy Minister G Jagdish Reddy on Friday said the Central government can’t privatise Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) since the State government owns 51 per cent share in the company.

“If the Centre, however, has any such plans, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao will launch a massive agitation to stall them,” he said during question hour in the State Assembly here.

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Many TRS MLAs including Balka Suman, Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy, Sandra Venkata Veeraiah and others said there were apprehensions over the Centre’s move to auction four coal blocks in Singareni limits.

TRS MLA Korukanti Chander said if SCCL was privatised, there would be no reservations for SC, ST and BCs in jobs. The TRS MLAs also sought information on the measures being taken by State government to protect SCCL.

In reply, the Minister said the union Coal Ministry had invited tenders for open auction of four coal blocks including Kalyan Khani Block-VI, Koyagudem Block-III, Sathupalli Block-III and Shravanpalli in Singareni limits.

This was after the SCCL management wrote to the Central government and the Chief Minister personally appealing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reserve the coal blocks for SCCL, he explained.

“Interestingly, the Central government allotted a few blocks to the State owned company in Gujarat without any conditions, but is refusing to honour Telangana government’s appeal to allocate coal blocks to Singareni in its limits,” Jagadish Reddy said.

There was a verbal duel between Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy and TRS members when he alleged that SCCL had invited tenders to auction coal blocks in Odisha to facilitate bidding of very few companies.

“It is an open tender and any company is free to bid. The tender guidelines, which are being followed since many years, are followed even in these tenders,” Jagadish Reddy said.

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