Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Energy and Finance, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. File
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Telangana Government has urged the Central Government to allot all the mining blocks in the coal belt area of the State to public sector miner Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Finance and Energy, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the State Government has decided to represent the matter to the Centre through Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy. A delegation led by Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka has decided to meet Mr. Kishan Reddy tomorrow and request him to take steps to allot new blocks to SCCL which was essential for the functioning of the public sector mining company.
The State to seek allotment of new mines through nomination, not auction
The State would seek allotment of new mines through nomination, not auction, as SCCL was a public sector company. Mr. Kishan Reddy, hailing from Telangana, should take the initiative in allotting mining blocks to SCCL and cooperate with the State Government in arranging a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the event of an all party delegation was taken to New Delhi, he said.
“We are not averse to leading an all party delegation to meet the Prime Minister. We will not stand on prestige to seek allotment of mines in coal belt area to SCCL,” he said. He recalled that works were yet to commence on the Koyagudem coal block of Sattupalli that was auctioned recently and said the block should be allotted to the SCCL.
He said the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS, then TRS) had supported the Union Government during the amendment made to Mines and Minerals Act, 2015. “In sharp contrast, the party is now opposing auction of mines,” he wondered. The BRS Government which did not allow SCCL to participate in the auction had ensured that mining rights of Koyagudem block were given to the companies whose leaders were closely associated with the party.
He recalled how the SCCL suffered losses during the BRS rule with closure of old blocks and non allocation of new blocks resulting in steep decline in the workforce. The BRS leaders should at least now stop false propaganda against the Congress Government.
He asserted that the State Government was committed to protect the assets of Singareni and would strive hard to ensure allotment of new mines to it. The Government had already represented the matter to the Union Coal Ministry.