BRS’ Singareni Karmika Garjana today; to highlight issues of coal miners | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: As the Telangana govt is planning to hold Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) union elections any time soon, BRS is conducting a public meeting, ‘Singareni Karmika Garjana’ in Ramagundam on Wednesday.The meeting is being conducted by BRS-affiliated Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) in the coal belt highlighting SCCL issues. BRS leaders, including BRS working president KT Rama Rao, deputy floor leader T Harish Rao, TBGKS honorary president and ex-minister Koppula Eshwar and other leaders from the coal belt area would attend.Harish Rao said several issues pertaining to Singareni workers remain unfulfilled, including payment of the workers’ full share in SCCL profits, conducting medical boards regularly and providing dependent jobs to eligible candidates, holding Singareni trade union elections immediately and clearing pending dues.He alleged that Singareni had been facing serious problems since the Congress govt came to power and claimed that even employees and officials were being forced to stage protests. He also alleged a sharp decline in Singareni’s profits, citing figures of ₹2,022 crore in 2022-23, ₹4,712 crore in 2023-24 and ₹6,394 crore in 2024-25.He claimed that profits this year were expected to be below ₹1,800 crore. The BRS leader said it was due to administrative decisions, delayed tenders, contracting practices and corruption and favouritism profits were dipping. He said workers’ output had actually improved, with output per man-shift increasing from 6.39 tonnes to 7.56 tonnes, and argued that workers were putting in their best efforts.Harish Rao claimed that coal production had declined from 70 million tonnes in 2023-24 to 58 million tonnes in 2025-26. He alleged that payments due to Singareni from the state govt and TG Genco had accumulated to nearly ₹50,000 crore and questioned the need to raise additional loans despite profits being retained in banks.On workers’ housing rights, Harish Rao said the previous BRS govt had issued GO 76 in 2019 to facilitate ownership rights for Singareni workers. He alleged that the Congress govt subsequently kept several properties in the prohibited list. He demanded that the remaining eligible workers be given ownership rights through sale deeds immediately.