The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre is conspiring to privatise all public sector undertakings, including the Singareni Collieries Company Limited, by invoking the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
Minister Koppula Eshwar, Government Whip Balka Suman, Member of Parliament B. Venkatesh Netha and legislators Gandra Venkatramana Reddy, Korukanti Chander and Sandra Venkata Veeraiah said here on Monday that the TRS would agitate along with the families of Singareni workers and employees to protect the company from being privatised by the Centre.
They sought to know the need to private Singareni, which is running in profits, by invoking the MMDR Act. They alleged that while the Centre is not giving permission to mine coal in new blocks, it is trying to privatise the existing blocks on the other hand. It had already decided to privatise 98 coal blocks.
Stating that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had written to the Central government in 2015 and 2021 with a request not to privatise coal blocks, they said in turn the Centre is trying to privatise the coal blocks of Singareni itself.
