Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has demanded an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the alleged disappearance of nearly 40 lakh tonne coal worth approximately Rs 1,600 crore from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
He demanded that the Centre to immediately ascertain the whereabouts of the missing coal and bring those responsible for the coal scam to justice.
He also demanded that if there was no tacit understanding between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Kishan Reddy, the Centre should immediately order a thorough investigation and take stringent action against those responsible.
Accusing both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of protecting those involved in various irregularities, KTR demanded a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting judge into the Rs 1,600 crore coal scam.
In a letter addressed to Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday, June 5, KTR questioned how such massive quantities of coal, officially shown in the Singareni’s stock records, could have vanished without accountability.
KTR alleged that coal that should have been available in stockyards was illegally diverted and sold, causing a loss of nearly Rs 1,600 crore to the public sector undertaking.
He stated that ever since the Congress government assumed office in Telangana, Singareni had become synonymous with a series of scandals. From the Naini coal mine tender controversy to several other alleged irregularities, KTR stated that there has been no meaningful response from the Centre despite repeated demands from the BRS to inquire into the irregularities.
According to KTR, the official records on the Singareni website indicated the availability of approximately 40 lakh metric tonne coal across multiple mines, including Mandamarri, Srirampur, Ramagundam-I, Ramagundam-II, Bhupalpally, Yellandu and Sathupalli.
KTR claimed that physical verification has reportedly revealed that the coal stocks were not available at the designated locations.
He pointed out that despite records showing payment of coal cess and income tax on these stocks, the actual coal was allegedly missing from the ground.
KTR questioned who was responsible for this discrepancy and why neither officials from the Union Coal Ministry nor the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) have conducted any inspections till now.
“The coal of Singareni belongs to the people of Telangana. Both the State and Central Governments are collectively endangering the future of this institution,” KTR stated.
Demanding transparency, KTR has appealed to the Centre to send an all-party delegation to the mines and stockyards under question for on-ground verification. He said such an exercise would expose the large-scale irregularities allegedly taking place in Singareni.
Referring to the earlier Naini coal mine tender controversy, KTR alleged that the Congress government introduced conditions such as mandatory site-visit certificates to favour select bidders. He claimed that despite BRS exposing the issue, no meaningful action had been taken against those involved.
KTR also raised concerns regarding the alleged irregularities in solar power tenders, diesel procurement, purchase of explosives, diversion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and the alleged misuse of Singareni funds for non-core activities.
“The livelihoods of thousands of Singareni workers and the future of Telangana’s most valuable public sector institution are at stake. BRS will not tolerate any attempt to weaken or destroy Singareni through corruption and collusion,” KTR stated.
He warned that if the Centre failed to order an investigation into the alleged scam, BRS would launch a large-scale agitation against both the state and central governments, along with the workers and employees of Singareni.
Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.
