Venkatesh Khani OC mine should run with SCCL workers: TBGKS

TBGKS leader Kapu Krishna demanded that the Singareni management run the Venkatesh Khani opencast mine with SCCL workers. He warned that handing it to private companies would cause job loss. Workers held a dharna and submitted a memorandum supporting the demand

Kothagudem: Telanana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) State chief general secretary Kapu Krishna has demanded that the Singareni management run the Venkatesh Khani opencast mine in Kothagudem with SCCL workers.

The TBGKS workers staged a dharna at the mine on Wednesday in support of the demand and submitted a memorandum to additional manager of the mine Anil. Speaking on the occasion, Krishna alleged that the management was planning to hand over mining operations to private companies. But the leaders of recognised union AITUC and representative union INTUC, who won the elections by telling lies, failed to address the problems being faced by the workers, he alleged, adding that the leaders had limited themselves to making recommendations for transfer and deputation of workers.

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If the mining at the VK mine was handed over to private companies, Singareni workers in the Kothagudem area would lose job opportunities. The PVK mine was likely to be closed in the next four to five years. If the VK coal mine was run with Singareni workers, the workers at the PVK mine could be accommodated at the VK mine in future, Krishna noted. He wanted the SCCL medical board to be convened on a regular basis like it was done in the past, and said all the workers who were facing health issues should be medically invalidated.

TBGKS Kothagudem area vice president Gadapa Rajaiah, central committee member Kagitapu Vijay Kumar, pit secretaries GS Srinivasa Rao and Anjaneyulu, branch secretary Raj Kumar, CITU leader Sriram Murthy and workers were present.