Hyderabad: As the Telangana govt is planning to hold Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) union elections any time soon, BRS is conducting a public meeting, ‘Singareni Karmika Garjana’ in Ramagundam on Wednesday.
He also alleged a sharp decline in Singareni’s profits, citing figures of ₹2,022 crore in 2022-23, ₹4,712 crore in 2023-24 and ₹6,394 crore in 2024-25.
Harish Rao said several issues pertaining to Singareni workers remain unfulfilled, including payment of the workers’ full share in SCCL profits, conducting medical boards regularly and providing dependent jobs to eligible candidates, holding Singareni trade union elections immediately and clearing pending dues. The meeting is being conducted by BRS-affiliated Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) in the coal belt highlighting SCCL issues. BRS leaders, including BRS working president KT Rama Rao , deputy floor leader T Harish Rao, TBGKS honorary president and ex-minister Koppula Eshwar and other leaders from the coal belt area would attend. He alleged that Singareni had been facing serious problems since the Congress govt came to power and claimed that even employees and officials were being forced to stage protests.
He claimed that profits this year were expected to be below ₹1,800 crore. He said workers’ output had actually improved, with output per man-shift increasing from 6.39 tonnes to 7.56 tonnes, and argued that workers were putting in their best efforts. On workers’ housing rights, Harish Rao said the previous BRS govt had issued GO 76 in 2019 to facilitate ownership rights for Singareni workers.
The BRS leader said it was due to administrative decisions, delayed tenders, contracting practices and corruption and favouritism profits were dipping. He alleged that the Congress govt subsequently kept several properties in the prohibited list. He demanded that the remaining eligible workers be given ownership rights through sale deeds immediately.