Telangana industries minister D Sridhar Babu accused BRS of using Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) as an “ATM” and pushing it into financial distress during its rule.Rejecting allegations by BRS working president KT Rama Rao over Singareni’s management, Sridhar Babu said Congress govt had ended the exploitation and commission-based tender system prevalent under BRS rule and introduced transparency in governance.“KTR and other party leaders who allege irregularities should produce evidence if they have any. It is not appropriate to indulge in politics through baseless allegations,” he said.The minister alleged that BRS govt had failed to clear dues owed to Singareni and accumulated thousands of crores of rupees in outstanding payments through power utilities, pushing the company into a debt trap.He also accused BRS govt of building Yadadri Thermal Power Plant for commissions and leaving it with technical defects. Congress govt had operationalised Naini coal block, he said.Sridhar Babu said G-9 grade coal was currently being produced from nine Singareni mines. During the past 10 years, about 4 million tonnes of G-9 coal was supplied annually to thermal power plants with fuel supply agreements.Singareni has supplied more than 25 million tonnes of coal to thermal plants in Telangana and other states so far this year. Of this, 1.20 million tonnes was G-9 coal, including 0.52 million tonnes supplied to Telangana GENCO plants, he said.He said an agreement to supply 14 million tonnes of G-9 coal annually to Yadadri plant was signed during BRS rule based on expected output from proposed mines. However, Singareni did not participate in Central govt’s coal block auctions and failed to secure Koyagudem-3 and Sattupalli-3 blocks, losing an opportunity to produce nearly 10 million tonnes of quality coal annually, he alleged.Sridhar Babu said Congress govt aimed to increase Singareni’s wealth and share it with people.
