Telangana Govt Announces Rs. 596-Cr Profit Share for Singareni Workers as Dasara Bonanza
Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced this decision at a media conference at Praja Bhavan here along with IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu.
Bhatti said the government had decided to distribute 34 per cent of Singareni’s profits among workers.
The company had earned a net profit of Rs. 1,754 crore, of which Rs. 596 crore would be distributed among employees, he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government was committed to workers’ welfare and announced measures to resolve long-pending employee grievances, improve housing facilities and strengthen healthcare services in Singareni areas.
He directed officials to complete pending formalities in around 250–300 dependent employment cases within 15 days and issue appointment orders to eligible candidates.
Cases involving changes in workers’ names would also be examined on humanitarian grounds, he added.
The government was preparing an action plan to provide housing to Singareni employees and workers.
Officials had been directed to identify suitable land belonging to the company where mining had not been undertaken and prepare layouts for housing colonies.
The management was also asked to expedite the distribution of house-site pattas to eligible beneficiaries for the remaining land covered under the relevant government order.
Bhatti said Singareni area hospitals would be upgraded to corporate-hospital standards, with measures to attract specialist doctors through improved remuneration if necessary. Cardiac and catheterisation laboratory facilities would also be made available for emergency treatment.
Expressing concern over health risks associated with coal dust and overburden dumps, he announced free cancer screening in villages across the erstwhile districts covered by Singareni operations.
He also directed officials to conduct medical board meetings at area hospitals to reduce the inconvenience faced by workers seeking medical invalidation.
The Deputy Chief Minister stressed the need to secure new coal blocks to sustain production, protect workers’ livelihoods and strengthen the company’s financial position.
He also called for rationalising coal prices in line with market conditions to improve competitiveness and prevent the loss of buyers.
Bhatti alleged that the previous BRS government had failed to secure additional coal blocks during its decade in power, affecting Singareni’s expansion prospects.
He said the present government was pursuing new blocks, including Tadicherla-II, Koyagudem Block-III, the Manuguru PK Open Cast-II dip-side block and Naini.
On outstanding dues owed to Singareni by electricity utilities, he said the government was taking steps to ensure phased payments by the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (GENCO) and the Transmission Corporation of Telangana (TRANSCO).
IT and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu criticised the BRS for organising protests over workers’ issues, alleging that it had failed to resolve several long-pending grievances during its tenure.
He said the Congress government was committed to protecting the interests of permanent and contract workers.
The government was also preparing plans to modernise Singareni-run schools and colleges and establish skill development centres to improve employment opportunities for local youth, Sridhar Babu added.
The meeting was attended by Coal Belt MLAs Prem Sagar Rao, Makan Singh Raj Thakur, Koram Kanakaiah, Matta Ragamayee, Payam Venkateswarlu, Malothu Ramdas Naik, Gandra Satyanarayana Rao and Vijaya Ramarao, among others.
Energy Department Special Chief Secretary Naveen Mittal, Singareni CMD Dr. Buddha Prakash Jyoti and Deputy Chief Minister’s Special Secretary Krishna Bhaskar were also present.
