Centre’s conspiracies to privatize Singareni will be opposed, says KTR

The union government was planning to transform SCCL into a sick unit and hand over the company to a private organization, he said

Hyderabad: Industries Minister KT Rama Rao said conspiracies being hatched by the BJP government at the Centre to privatize the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) would be opposed and assured all support to the employees.

The union government was planning to transform SCCL into a sick unit and hand over the company to a private organization, he said.

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“We will oppose all such conspiracies. If required, agitations will be launched along with SCCL employees and political parties,” Rama Rao said in the State Assembly here on Thursday.

The State government has been urging the union government to allocate four coal blocks to SCCL on nomination basis for mining. To this effect, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Yet the BJP government was not considering Telangana’s pleas, the Minister said during Question Hour.

Interestingly, the union government had allocated blocks to Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation on nomination basis. When the Telangana government wanted allocation of blocks on nomination basis, the union government directed SCCL to participate in the open auction, he said.

“This is nothing but the union government’s discrimination and hatred towards Telangana” Rama Rao said.

Similarly, the union government was misleading the people over establishing the Bayyaram steel plant. The Centre has been saying it was not feasible citing poor quality iron ores. With the Steel Authority of India Limited not initiating measures, the State government was exploring alternate options, including roping in private companies, he said.

During the World Economic Forum (WEF), preliminary meetings were held with representatives of Jindal and Mittal companies, the Minister said.

“If the union government does not set up the steel plant at Bayyaram, efforts will be made to set up the plant either through private companies or Singareni,” Rama Rao said.