Hyderabad, July 23 (RAHNUMA): Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka stated that the State government’s foremost objective is to ensure that Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) remains a strong, efficiently managed, and future-ready public sector enterprise by expanding its business and securing its long-term sustainability for future generations.
Describing Singareni as the soul of Telangana, the Deputy Chief Minister said the people of the state and its workforce share an emotional bond with the 130-year-old institution. He emphasised that it is everyone’s collective responsibility not only to protect this iconic public sector enterprise but also to strengthen it and hand it over as a profitable organisation to future generations.
The Deputy Chief Minister on Thursday inspected the Sathupalli open cast coal mine, where he reviewed coal reserves, production processes, and coal quality.
Senior officials accompanying him included Energy Special Chief Secretary Navin Mittal, SCCL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Buddha Prakash Jyoti, TGGENCO CMD Dr. Harish, SCCL Director Gautham Potru, Khammam District Collector Divakar T.S., MLAs Matta Ragamayee and Maloth Ramdas Naik, among others.
Speaking to the media, the Deputy Chief Minister said the field visit was undertaken to directly assess mining operations, understand the challenges faced by the company, and review its future plans.
He instructed officials to ensure that overburden, soil, and rocks do not get mixed with coal during blasting and loading operations. Continuous monitoring by company officials at every shovel and loading point is essential to maintain coal quality, Bhatti Vikramarka said.
The Deputy Chief Minister noted that transporting inferior-quality coal not only increases transportation costs unnecessarily but also reduces efficiency at thermal power plants and may even lead to plant tripping. He directed officials to supply only high-quality, uncontaminated coal to TGGENCO and other customers.
Bhatti Vikramarka observed that while the coal sector once operated under a monopoly, the market has now become highly competitive with the entry of private players and increasing imports of coal from abroad. To remain competitive, Singareni must produce superior-quality coal while simultaneously reducing production costs, he said.
He pointed out that Singareni had missed several opportunities over the past decade by not participating in auctions for new coal blocks.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the Singareni must prepare and execute plans with a minimum 10-year strategic vision.
He instructed the managements of Singareni and TGGENCO to jointly prepare a long-term action plan by assessing future electricity demand in the state and estimating corresponding coal requirements over the next decade.
Highlighting the global shift towards clean energy, the Deputy Chief Minister said Singareni should not remain confined to coal production alone but must rapidly expand into the solar energy sector.
