Prime Minister Mr Modi who addressed the people of Telangana at Ramagundam recently assuring that SCCL will be privatised has gone back on his assurance.
Scores of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and the general public staged protests across the coal belt resetting Modi’s decision to auction two coal blocks under the jurisdiction of SSCL in Telangana state.
The Central government during Saturday’s business summit at Bangalore proposed to auction two coal blocks in Telangana. They are Sravanapalli and Kalyanikhani at Penagdapa and Sattupalli.
The Central government has only a 49 percent stake while the Telangana state government has a 51 percent stake in the SCCL. No decision could be taken unilaterally with the consent of the state government.
However, leaving all the norms to winds, the Central government now hatches a conspiracy to weaken the state government by usurping its power and assets.
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao wrote a letter to the Prime Minister in 2021 stating that the SCCL was catering to the needs of thermal power stations in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu by producing 65 million tonnes of coal every year. He requested the prime minister to withdraw the decision to auction the coal blocks under the jurisdiction of SCCL. The state government which was setting up several thermal power stations need increased coal supplies in the days to come.
However, Modi showed his true colours now going back on his assurance within a few days. It reflects the double standards of the BJP government.
The people of Telangana feel terribly duped by Modi and vow to teach his party a fitting lesson at an appropriate time.
By Gollapudi Srinivasa Rao