Harish Rao raises concerns over rising Singareni dues and coal stocks

BRS leader T Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government had pushed Singareni Collieries into financial crisis through mismanagement and rising dues. He also questioned missing coal stocks, overdrafts, solar project decisions and the alleged misuse of Singareni funds for publicity activities

Hyderabad: BRS Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao charged that under the Congress government, the Singareni Collieries had become a hub of scams and financial mismanagement. Once considered the pride and wealth of Telangana, it was now being pushed into crisis due to the Congress government’s policies. Dues payable to Singareni had increased alarmingly under the Congress government, he said.

According to him, dues pending to Singareni in 2014 stood at only around Rs 2,000 crore. This later reached around Rs 7,000 crore from TS GENCO during the BRS regime. However, in just two-and-a-half years of Congress rule, dues payable to Singareni had increased to nearly Rs 21,000 crore, he alleged.

---

Rao further claimed that pending electricity-related dues alone had crossed Rs 20,000 crore and said the company was being pushed into overdraft despite once maintaining strong fixed deposits. “The State government OD is around Rs 3,200 crore, while Singareni’s OD has crossed Rs 4,000 crore,” Rao stressed while addressing the State Executive Meeting of Coal Mine Workers at Telangana Bhavan here on Tuesday.

The former Minister alleged that the Congress government was looting the organisation at every possible opportunity. He also raised serious questions regarding coal stock figures shown on the official Singareni website. The website showed availability of 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal stocks and income tax had also been paid based on the reported revenue from that stock, he said, seeking clarity on the whereabouts of coal worth nearly Rs 1,600 crore.

He also criticised the government’s decision to move ahead with a solar power project in Jaisalmer near the Pakistan border in partnership with Rajasthan.

“Why is the government not supporting cheaper power generation through NTPC while allegedly rushing ahead with solar projects even before approvals for the DPR and PPA are completed?” Rao asked.

He charged that civil works had begun without proper approvals. He accused the government of awarding contracts and taking commissions in the name of delayed thermal power projects. “Mobilisation advances are being released in solar power tenders to facilitate commissions,” Rao alleged.

The BRS Deputy Floor Leader accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of misusing Singareni funds for “football events and publicity activities”. He said Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy should disclose details regarding the missing coal stock. The findings of the committee reportedly constituted by the Centre after BRS raised allegations of corruption in coal mines should be made public, he demanded.

“If Congress and BJP are not working together, they should tell the truth to the people,” Rao said, warning that if the present situation continued, Singareni might soon face difficulties even in paying salaries to employees.