Telangana Dy CM Bhatti to visit Devadurg block in K’taka on Aug 27
Hyderabad, Aug 26 (TNT): Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday said he would visit the Devadurg gold and copper mineral block in Karnataka on Thursday along with senior Singareni officials to assess the ground situation and progress of exploration activities.
Reviewing Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)’s new projects and expansion plans at Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan here, Bhatti directed officials to expedite exploration activities in the mineral block secured by the company.
SCCL CMD Dr Buddhi Prakash Jyoti, Directors Suryanarayana, Venkateshwarlu and Tirumala Rao and other senior officials attended the meeting.
Bhatti said the Devadurg project could lay the foundation for Singareni’s expansion from coal into the critical and strategic minerals sector.
He directed officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan based on the exploration undertaken so far, geological conditions and further steps required to assess the mineral deposits.
Bhatti said Singareni would seek the Karnataka government’s cooperation for necessary permissions, infrastructure and other support required for mineral exploration.
He said Singareni, with its long-standing experience in mining, should expand beyond coal into the exploration and mining of critical and strategic minerals.
The Deputy Chief Minister directed Singareni to continuously monitor coal and critical mineral auctions at the national and international levels and participate in opportunities beneficial to the company.
With mineral blocks containing vanadium and titanium likely to be auctioned soon, he asked officials to prepare a strategy in advance to secure such blocks.
Bhatti also directed Singareni to explore opportunities in copper, graphite, lithium and cobalt, keeping in view the growing importance of these minerals in the global energy and industrial sectors.
He said international consultants had been appointed to study mineral opportunities in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and Chile and asked officials to identify projects that could benefit Singareni.
While expanding into critical minerals, Bhatti stressed that coal production should continue to receive priority as Singareni’s core business.
With electricity demand increasing due to the impact of El Nino, he directed officials to increase coal production in line with demand.
He said drought-like conditions in the state had further underlined the importance of energy security and that Singareni should play a crucial role in meeting power requirements.
Bhatti said the state government’s objective was to transform Singareni, a public-sector enterprise and the backbone of Telangana, into a stronger and more profitable organisation for future generations.
He directed officials to implement a robust action plan to establish Singareni as a major player in the critical minerals sector while continuing to leverage its expertise in coal production.
TNT TS
