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Coal discoverer Sir William King’s statue for five years not unveiled
Khammam district is famous for its rich mineral resources. The coal mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) have earned world-wide fame.
Kothagudem (Khammam): Khammam district is famous for its rich mineral resources. The coal mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) have earned world-wide fame.
The SCCL which was established more than 125 years ago, records a business turnover of Rs 10,000 crore every year. The Singareni Company is providing livelihood to thousands of employees.
The coal reserves here were first discovered by British officer Sir William King in 1871 at Singareni village located near Yellandu. Thus Sir William King earned the name of Finder of Coal and Grandfather of Singareni. The first mine was started at Yellandu in 1886 by the Hyderabad Deccan Company, predecessors of the SCCL.
As per history, Kakatiya ruler Singabhupala built his fort near Bugga Vaagu way back in 1325 AD. As the area he ruled was located adjacent to a Revu (dock), subsequently the area came to be known as Singarevu. Over the years, Singarevu turned into Singareni.
A few devotees of Lord Rama were travelling on a bullock cart from Yellandu to Bhadrachalam to have darshan of the deity. They halted overnight near Singarevu. They began cooking on firewood.
However, the devotees were surprised as the stones near the firewood also caught fire. They brought the issue to the notice of British officer Sir William King. Then, he began research on the stones at Yellandu and discovered that the area has rich coal reserves.
A six-foot statue of Sir William King standing on a horse was set up at the museum on the premises of the Singareni’s exploration office located near the main office of SCCL at Kothagudem. The statue was made five years ago by Venkateswarlu, who worked as an engineer in SCCL at Ramagundam. However, the statue is yet to be unveiled.
Every year, Singareni celebrates its anniversary on December 23, but the statue is kept masked for years together. Though proposals were made to develop a park at the museum utilising a few lakhs for the purpose, even these proposals were withdrawn. The leaders of different trade unions and historians wonder why the statue of Sir William King has not been unveiled.
They hope that the Telangana State government would soon initiate measures for unveiling the statue.
By: T Srinivas Rao
