Singareni’s Rs 10 crore largesse for Messi, peanuts for Formation Day sparks outrage

The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has slashed its budget for Formation Day celebrations to Rs 8 lakh, drawing sharp criticism from workers and unions. Earlier, allocations ranged between Rs 40-50 lakh under the BRS government. The downsizing comes after SCCL spent Rs 10 crore sponsoring Lionel Messi’s Hyderabad event.

Kothagudem: The management of Singareni Collieries Company Limited, which spent Rs 10 crore to sponsor an event featuring international footballer Lionel Messi that lasted barely an hour in Hyderabad, has allotted a pittance for Singareni Formation Day celebrations, a major event for the company’s workers across the State.

The company sanctioned a meagre Rs 8 lakh for the celebrations scheduled on December 23. When the BRS was in power, budgets ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh were allocated across SCCL areas to mark the occasion on a grand scale.

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In a note issued on November 12, the management proposed to sanction Rs 47.06 lakh by enhancing the budget by 7.5 percent over the previous year for organising celebrations in all SCCL areas. Of this, Rs 15.35 lakh was earmarked for the central function proposed at Prakasam Stadium in Kothagudem. However, in a circular issued on December 18, the budget was abruptly slashed to Rs 8 lakh from Rs 47.06 lakh.

Only Rs 1 lakh has now been allotted for the central function in Kothagudem, while other areas will receive between Rs 25,000 and Rs 60,000, as against earlier allocations ranging from Rs 67,725 to Rs 3.38 lakh. The venue for the central function has also been shifted to the corporate office lawn instead of Prakasam Stadium, drawing sharp criticism that the management has undermined the significance of the event.

Speaking to Telangana Today, TBGKS State chief general secretary Kapu Krishna said allocating just Rs 8 lakh amounted to an insult to workers’ self respect. He alleged that the management was deliberately neglecting Singareni Formation Day celebrations, which workers and their families observe like a festival.

He also pointed out that the company had abandoned the practice of honouring 10 best workers in each area and presenting the Best Singaranian award to one worker per area, with plans now to honour only two workers and present awards to just two employees.

While Singareni workers toil day and night, shedding sweat and blood to extract coal, the Congress government and certain officials are arbitrarily spending company funds on programmes unrelated to workers or their welfare, Krishna alleged.

He further alleged that hundreds of crores from CSR and DMFT funds meant for infrastructure development in workers’ colonies and residential areas were being diverted. While the union has been demanding a paid holiday for workers on Singareni Formation Day, such decisions were unacceptable, he added.

Meanwhile, SCCL General Manager (Personnel) G V Kiran Kumar told the media that the celebrations were downsized as the company had failed to achieve production targets for the current year and wanted to conserve funds.

CITU State general secretary Manda Narsimha Rao questioned the logic of cost cutting, asking why the company spent Rs 10 crore to sponsor Messi’s event in Hyderabad if saving money was the priority. Andhra officials were hurting the sentiments of SCCL workers with such arbitrary decisions, union leaders said.