KTR renews demand for judicial probe into Singareni scam

BRS working president KT Rama Rao reiterated his demand for a judicial inquiry into alleged irregularities in Singareni Collieries Company Limited, urging the government to appoint a sitting judge. Protests intensified across the coal belt, with BRS and workers’ unions demanding a CBI probe

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday reiterated his demand for a judicial inquiry into irregularities in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) by a sitting judge. He asserted that the BRS had no objection to an investigation into tenders even since the State formation in 2014.

Questioning the continued silence of the Ministers on the issue, Rama Rao said the government must come clean on the controversial rules it has introduced in Singareni.

“Appoint a sitting judge and conduct the inquiry from whatever time you want. We have no objection,” he said, also seeking an explanation from the Congress government on the rationale behind introducing the contentious site visit certificate rule, terming it unnecessary and suspicious. He demanded clarity on how the new regulation would serve the interests of Singareni and its workers.

Meanwhile, protests intensified across the Singareni coal belt on Wednesday as BRS and Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities and scams in SCCL under the two-year Congress rule.

BRS and TBGKS leaders staged a demonstration at the Telangana Talli statue in Jagadamba Centre at Yellandu, following a call by the BRS working president. The protestors said Singareni had slipped into crisis under the Congress, alleging dubious tenders and the controversial ‘site visit’ system.

BRS and TBGKS simultaneously organised protests in front of General Manager offices across Singareni areas, including Ramagundam RG-2, Mandamarri and Bhupalpalli, opposing the Mine Developer and Operator (MDO) tender for the Naini coal block and calling the episode one of the biggest scams in domestic coal mining.

In Jayashankar Bhupalpally district headquarters, BRS cadres led by former MLA Gandra Venkataramana Reddy staged a road blockade at Ambedkar Centre, demanding a CBI probe into alleged multi-crore contract scams. Traffic was disrupted for nearly an hour before police detained the protesters.

Similar protests were held at Sathupalli General Manager’s office, where former MLA Sandra Venkata Veeraiah demanded cancellation of recent tenders and an independent judicial inquiry. Memoranda were submitted to Singareni officials, warning of continued agitation if corrective action was not taken.