Top News

Hyderabad: Union Minister of Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy has announced that the Centre has allocated the Tadicherla-2 open-cast coal block in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district to Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) on a nomination basis instead of auctioning it.

In a chit-chat with the media, Reddy said that there is availability of 182 million tonne coal in the Tadicherla-2 coal block, which will enable SCCL to produce coal for 40 to 50 years, with a potential to gain revenues amounting to Rs 64,000 crore. He said it would also help the state government earn revenues of Rs 16,000 crore.

Reddy said this was the first time the Centre has allocated a coal block on a nomination basis to a government-run enterprise since 2020, with the decision being made after taking legal opinion from experts.

He recalled that the chief ministers of undivided Andhra Pradesh had written to the Centre requesting allocation of Tadicherla-2 coak block to the state when Dr Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, but it had failed to materialise.

The Union Minister said the decision was taken keeping cooperative federalism in mind by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revive the SCCL and boost the company’s financial health in times of mounting debt and declining production.

He noted that the coal block allocation would create 1,200 new jobs in the Tadicherla block and 1,500 jobs in the Naini coal block.

Deputy CM Bhatti thanks PM Modi

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka welcomed the announcement made by Kishan Reddy and said the efforts of the state government for the past couple of years have borne results. He said the Centre’s move to allocate the Tadicherla-2 block will be a boon to the SCCL.

He thanked Narendra Modi and Kishan Reddy for making it happen.

Kishan Reddy also said that he would follow-up with Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on the letter written by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy regarding the Hyderabad Metro Rail phase 2.