Gangula seeks CBI probe into alleged SSCL coal reserve discrepancies

Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar accused the Congress government of mismanaging Singareni Collieries, alleging coal reserve discrepancies, contract favoritism, and financial distress. He claimed SCCL faces a ₹4,000 crore overdraft and demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities

Hyderabad: Karimnagar MLA and former Minister Gangula Kamalakar on Tuesday alleged that the Congress government was driving the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) towards financial distress through mismanagement and misuse of its resources.

Addressing a press conference, Kamalakar said Karimnagar shared a long association with Singareni and questioned the coal reserve figures cited by the government.

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He said the government had claimed that RG-1 contained 3.9 lakh metric tonnes of coal reserves. However, he alleged that police prevented him and former Minister T. Harish Rao from visiting the site to verify the claims.

Kamalakar demanded that Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu allow a visit to the mine and clarify the status of the coal reserves, adding that he would wait for a response until Wednesday morning.

The BRS leader also criticised Energy Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka for remaining silent on the controversy. He claimed the government had stated there were 1.8 lakh metric tonnes of coal reserves in Adriyala, where production had allegedly been suspended for the past year.

Kamalakar further questioned what had happened to the 26 lakh metric tonnes of coal that had become the subject of political controversy. He demanded that both Bhatti Vikramarka and Sridhar Babu provide a detailed explanation.

The former Minister alleged that the Congress government had interfered in the functioning of Singareni after coming to power, accusing it of favouring individuals linked to its leaders in awarding contracts.

Claiming that SCCL’s financial position had deteriorated, Kamalakar said the company was facing difficulties in meeting salary obligations and had availed an overdraft of ₹4,000 crore.

He also pointed out that the Union government holds a 49 percent stake in SCCL and called on Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar to respond to the allegations.

Demanding transparency, Kamalakar sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged discrepancy in coal reserves.