Objections raised against TGGENCO tender to lift ash from Telangana power plants

Local contractors have opposed TGGENCO’s unified tender for ash lifting from four thermal power plants in Telangana, alleging that eligibility conditions favour large corporations. They demanded separate tenders or lots to enable local contractors to participate and protect livelihoods.

Kothagudem: Contractors, who have been making a living from ash lifting and transportation for several years at KTPS and other power plants, are opposing a unified tender called for by TGGENCO to lift ash from its power plants in the State.

The e-auction tender notice dated September 3, 2026 invited bids for comprehensive sale of ash (Fly ash and bottom ash/pond ash) at Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS), Kakatiya Thermal Power Plant (KTPP), Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) and Bhadradri Thermal Power Station (BTPS), instead of the earlier practice of calling tenders for each power plant individually.

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This development came in the backdrop of protests being staged by Telangana State Power Employees Joint Action Committee (TGPEJAC) opposing the State government’s decision to privatise the ash and coal handling plants at Yadadri Thermal Power Station.

Speaking to Telangana Today, former MP Ajmeera Seetharam Naik complained that the conditions stipulated in the tender notice exclusively allow large corporations to participate in the e-auction while shutting out locals.

The eligibility criteria suggest bidders possess their own/leased fleet of a minimum of 100 Tippers/Hywas (heavy duty dumper trucks), annual financial turnover of not less than Rs. 300 crore during the preceding three consecutive financial years and a minimum average net worth of Rs. 100 crore as on the date of techno-commercial bid opening.

These conditions are not in the interest of small and medium-sized local contractors, who have long been engaged in ash lifting at KTPS and other plants; they stand to lose the opportunity to participate in the tender. The GENCO should review the tender notice, allowing local contractors to participate in the e-auction, Seetharam Naik stated.

BJP leader Ponisetti Venkateswarlu of Paloncha alleged that the tender terms and conditions are arbitrary, unreasonable and designed to restrict competition. He demanded that the GENCO explain to the public the need for bundling four plants into a single tender.

If ash lifting is tendered separately or divided into distinct lots, qualified local contractors would have the opportunity to compete alongside major firms. While local residents bear the brunt of the pollution generated by the power plants, influential figures in the government are poised to secure the ash tender through their benamis (proxies), he complained.

The tender should not be finalised until the contractors’ objections are addressed. Contractors, vehicle owners, drivers, loaders, workers, small traders and their families depend on operations at KTPS and other power plants for their livelihood, he added.