Singareni: Small fry targetted to shield big fish, says Kavitha

Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruthi president K Kavitha on Sunday alleged that the controversy surrounding Singareni Collieries contracts was being deliberately diverted to protect large contractors, while workers’ interests and mounting losses of the public sector undertaking are being ignored.

Addressing a press meet at the Telangana Jagruthi office, Kavitha said the narrative was being shifted towards a ‘small contractor’ to shield big contractors. She questioned why the BRS leadership remained silent on this. Clarifying the issue, she said Srujan Reddy was awarded contracts worth around Rs 250 crore, all of which were granted during the BRS regime. “Projecting him now while ignoring much larger contracts is misleading the public,” she remarked.

Kavitha accused both Congress and BRS of consistently neglecting workers’ concerns, stating that neither party raises its voice when labourers face hardship but acts swiftly when influential contractors are affected.

She rejected claims that no excess tenders were awarded during the BRS tenure, pointing out that several Singareni contracts were approved at high excess percentages. She also criticised the extension of site-visit conditions to overburden (OB) works, alleging that the move was tailored to favour select companies.

Calling for the immediate scrapping of the MDO (Mine Developer and Operator) system, Kavitha said it has inflicted severe financial damage on Singareni. She noted that the organisation’s debt rose from Rs 25,000 crore during the BRS regime to nearly Rs 50,000 crore now, forcing the company to borrow even to meet salary payments, while substantial dues from power utilities remain unpaid.

She demanded that all new coal blocks in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh be allotted exclusively to Singareni and that long-pending workers issues, including recruitment and bill clearances, be resolved without delay. Describing the phone-tapping investigation as a political drama, she said victims like herself have lost confidence in receiving justice. Responding to comments made by Mahesh Kumar Goud, Kavitha dismissed rumours of joining Congress, stating that such speculation was aimed at tarnishing her image.