Hyderabad : Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday hit back at BRS working president KT Rama Rao over allegations of foreign coal imports, saying he was ready for any inquiry into the issue and claiming that it was the previous BRS govt that had planned large-scale coal imports for the Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS).
He noted that the fifth unit of the 4,000 MW project was yet to be completed. The original agreement for the supercritical power project was valued at ₹17,950 crore, but the estimated cost later rose to ₹37,781 crore, according to him. The chief minister also questioned the previous govt’s coal procurement strategy, alleging that an agreement signed in Dec 2016 envisaged importing 7 million tonnes of coal annually, with the remaining requirement to be met by Singareni. He further alleged that despite 141 coal block auctions being held between 2019 and 2023, Singareni did not participate in any of them. “Though 141 coal blocks auctions were conducted between 2019 and 2023, Singareni did not participate in any auction. Steps had been taken in 2024 to secure the lifting of a National Green Tribunal stay after a public consultation supported the use of Singareni coal,” he said.
Accusing the former regime of creating the conditions that led to the present coal and power crisis, he said his govt was working to maximise the use of domestic coal for the project. Addressing a news conference, Revanth said the state govt had already discussed coal availability with Union minister G Kishan Reddy and was transporting coal from the Naini mines to the plant. Revanth also accused the BRS of trying to divert attention from corruption allegations by targeting the Congress govt and said he was ready for a debate in the assembly on corruption, irrigation projects and power generation.
Launching a scathing attack on the previous govt, the chief minister alleged that the Yadadri project had become significantly more expensive than originally planned and questioned the decision to locate the thermal station at Damarcherla instead of near the Singareni coal belt.