KTR accuses Revanth govt of conspiring to weaken Singareni, pave way for privatisation

BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government was deliberately reducing coal production and pushing Singareni Collieries Company Limited into financial distress with the aim of facilitating its privatisation.

Karimnagar: BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of deliberately reducing coal production and pushing Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) into a financial crisis to weaken the public sector coal miner and eventually privatise it. He called upon the coal miners to gear up for another fight and support the BRS to safeguard their future.

Despite his weakness following a viral flu over the past few days, Rama Rao addressed the packed Singareni Karmika Garjana public meeting at Singareni stadium in Godavarikhani of Peddapalli district on Wednesday. As his hoarse voice due to a sore throat echoed through loud speakers, coal miners cheered and responded to him with loud slogans.

Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao questioned how the government could allegedly find funds for the proposed Musi riverfront development project with an expenditure of Rs 1.5 lakh crore, but not for Singareni’s development. He said the company was struggling to procure tyres for dumpers, graders, shovels, spare parts and lubricants.

“The Congress government is even diverting the company’s funds for football matches, while neglecting workers’ welfare and essential operational requirements,” he remarked.

The BRS working president charged the ruling Congress with deliberately pushing the company towards insolvency to facilitate its privatisation. He said Singareni’s financial position had deteriorated under Congress rule, with the company being pushed into an overdraft while its bank deposits had dwindled.

Stating that Rs 6,317 crore had gone missing or been diverted in 2023-24 and 2024-25, he demanded a probe by the CBI or a sitting judge. Alleging collusion between the BJP and the Congress, he questioned the silence of the Centre, the union Coal Minister and BJP leaders despite the Centre holding a 49 per cent stake in Singareni.

Rama Rao also cited the Jaipur Singareni Thermal Power Plant, stating that it had ranked first nationally with a 91.8 per cent performance rating under the previous BRS government but had slipped to 65th position under the Congress rule because of coal shortages. He criticised the government for pursuing new overburden-mining projects to earn commissions, while failing to manage existing operations.

He said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Ministers were blaming declining coal production for the power shortage to cover up their inefficiency in ensuring adequate coal stocks. He charged them with indulging in multiple scams and looting Singareni wealth through diversion of coal stocks, site visitation certifications for tenders, award tenders at minus bids and cancelling seven tenders of Srirampur for commissions.

On workers’ welfare, the former Minister recalled that the previous BRS government increased workers’ profit share from 16 per cent to 32 per cent, filled 20,000 dependent and regular posts, raised the retirement age to 61 and provided interest-free housing loans of Rs 10 lakh. However, he pointed out that the profit share was reduced during Congress rule over the past two financial years. He warned that workers would besiege Congress Ministers’ and legislators’ residences, if the Dasara bonus was not paid properly.

Rama Rao reminded the gathering that former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had revived the dependent jobs which were scrapped in undivided Andhra Pradesh. He stated that the Congress government failed to conduct medical boards for dependent appointments for three years and demanded that they be held three times a month. He also accused the government of withholding promised welfare benefits and employment commitments.

He said Singareni workers played a decisive role in the Telangana statehood movement and in sustaining the State’s power supply. He urged them to protect the company from privatisation, alleging that the government’s approach to Singareni and the reported move to privatise a 26 per cent stake in Telangana Transco pointed to a serious attempt to transfer public assets to corporate interests. He said the company’s future depended on restoring K Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership in 2028.