Kothagudem, July 13 (RAHNUMA): Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Monday said the Centre’s decision to allot the Tadicherla-II coal block to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) without an auction would secure the company’s future for the next 40 to 50 years.
Addressing Singareni workers during the BJP’s “Singareni Bharosa Yatra”, Reddy said the Modi government made the allocation after considering the long-pending demand of workers and the strategic importance of SCCL. He alleged that while the Supreme Court had mandated auction-based coal block allocations following irregularities during the UPA regime, the Centre made a rare exception in SCCL’s case to protect Telangana’s coal sector.
The Union Minister also blamed the previous BRS government for failing to secure new coal blocks and said the Centre had revived the Naini coal block project in Odisha for SCCL.
Claiming that the previous BRS and present Congress governments together owed around Rs.54,000 crore to Singareni, Reddy demanded immediate clearance of the dues, saying the Centre would continue supporting the PSU and its workforce.
