Hyderabad: For the first time in its history, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has recruited women as earthmover personnel (EP) operators in its opencast coal mines. The move comes after the company earlier began recruiting women for underground mining roles, marking another significant step in increasing women’s participation in one of most physically demanding industries.The coal company has recruited 13 women operators who underwent specialised training at the Telangana Institute of Driving Education and Skills in Sircilla to handle heavy goods vehicles and heavy motor vehicles. After completing a month-long training programme, they obtained heavy vehicle driving licences from the Road Transport Authority (RTA), a mandatory requirement for operating the massive dumpers used in coal transportation.SCCL employs hundreds of EP operators responsible for transporting coal from mine quarries to crushers and dispatch points before it is sent to thermal power stations. Traditionally, the work has been viewed as highly labour-intensive and almost exclusively male-dominated due to the difficult terrain and demanding working conditions.The recruitment process began in Sept 2025, and after several stages of selection and training, the 13 women successfully completed the programme in April. They are expected to be posted across various opencast mines operated by the company.“The role requires considerable technical skill, patience, and physical endurance. Unlike ordinary heavy vehicles that transport around 60 tonnes, the dumpers used in Singareni mines carry nearly 100 tonnes of coal at a time. Operators must manoeuvre these vehicles across uneven kacha roads, steep gradients, and rugged quarry routes rather than smooth highways, often in extremely hot weather conditions,” a senior SCCL official said.Given the physically demanding nature of the work, SCCL conducted physical fitness tests and driving assessments for all applicants, both men and women, before finalising the selections.Many of the successful women candidates reportedly applied out of personal interest and determination, while several also come from families already employed with SCCL.One of the recruits, Sirisha Maduranayagam, said she chose the profession out of passion. “I completed my MA in Sociology. My father is an ex-Army personnel and is currently working with SCCL as a security guard. I joined because I wanted to operate earthmovers,” she told TOI.Sirisha recalled that when SCCL issued a notification to recruit general assistants and Badili workers, who are later posted as dumper operators, she and a few other women approached the then SCCL chairman and managing director, Balaram, requesting that women also be considered for the posts. Following this, the management directed officials to include women candidates in the recruitment process.The eligibility criteria for the post included being below 35 years of age, having passed at least Class 7, being physically fit, and possessing either a two-wheeler or four-wheeler driving licence.R Vijaya Prasad, general manager (HRD) of SCCL, told TOI that around 60 women initially applied for the posts, of whom 35 were shortlisted for training at the Sircilla institute. However, some candidates withdrew during the programme, leaving 13 women who successfully completed the training and secured heavy vehicle licences from the RTA.He added that the selected candidates would undergo another round of rigorous internal training and evaluations before formally joining duties in various opencast mining projects.
