Tension prevails in Godavarikhani as police foil BRS protest for Singareni worker

Mild tension prevailed in Godavarikhani as police thwarted a BRS and its trade union Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangham dharna demanding a 33% profit share for Singareni workers.

Peddapalli: Mild tension prevailed in Godavarikhani town when the police prevented an attempt of the BRS to stage a dharna at Gandhi chowk on Sunday. The agitation was to demand an adequate share for workers in the profits of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited.

Both the BRS and its trade union Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangham had decided to stage the dharna at Godavarikhani demanding a 33 percent share for workers from the profits of SCCL of 2023-24 financial year. While they were trying to erect a tent, a large number of police personnel rushed to the spot and prevented them stating there was no permission. A jostle followed between the agitating party workers and the police when the latter removed the tent.

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In protest against the police attitude, former Minister Koppula Eashwar, BRS district president and former MLA Korukanti Chander, former legislators Putta Madhukar and Nadipalli Diwakar Rao, TBGKS president Miryala Rajireddy and others staged a sit-in at the spot. They raised slogans against the State government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Later, they continued the dharna at the TBGKS office.

Speaking on the occasion, Eashwar said the Congress party, which came to power by cheating the people, was now trying to cheat Singareni workers. Though the company got profits over Rs.4701 crore in the financial year 2023-24, Singareni had announced 33 percent share from only Rs.2412 crore, setting aside the remaining amount for the expansion. They were demanding the company to give 33 percent share from the total profit.

When the BRS was in power, the company’s profit was shared among the workers from the net profits. Every year, two percent profit was increased. In the 2022-23 financial year, 32 percent profit was provided to workers. Eashwar said the agitation would continue till 33 percent of profit was shared from the net profit to the workers.