Telangana Dy CM orders cancellation of Singareni coal tender after allegations

Telangana’s deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has directed Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) to cancel a mining tender for the Naini coal block, following allegations linking him to the tender process.

Addressing a press conference on Sunday, Vikramarka said he had instructed the state-run coal miner to issue fresh tenders in line with guidelines prescribed by the central government for public sector undertakings. He said the company’s management had informed him that the tender was only issued recently and that no bids had been received so far.

Rejecting the allegations, the deputy chief minister said he was not intimidated by what he described as “fabricated stories”. He strongly denied reports carried by a Telugu television channel and a newspaper claiming that he had played a role in awarding the Naini coal block contract to select companies.

Vikramarka, who holds the energy and finance portfolios, said he entered public life not to amass personal wealth or expand business interests, but to safeguard the state’s resources for future generations. He accused his critics of attempting to mislead the people of Telangana through what he termed a concocted narrative.

He also alleged that the reports were politically motivated and suggested that he was being targeted due to his association with former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, with whom he said he shared a close friendship.

Clarifying the tender process, Vikramarka said decisions on procurement were taken by Singareni’s management and not by ministers. He accused the media outlets involved of lacking basic understanding of how tenders are handled by public sector companies and of indulging in character assassination.

Singareni Collieries, a joint venture of the Telangana state government and the central government, began coal production at the Naini block in Odisha in April last year. The mine was allocated to the company by the Ministry of Coal nearly a decade ago.

Vikramarka had earlier inaugurated coal production at the Naini block, marking the first time in Singareni’s 130-year history that it commenced operations at a mine outside Telangana.

With IANS inputs