Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has urged the Union Coal Minister to conduct a thorough investigation into the reported disappearance of around 40 lakh tonnes of coal worth Rs 1,600 crore from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). Rao expressed concern over the unexplained absence of such a significant amount of coal from the official records of Singareni.
Rao, popularly known as KTR, alleged that the missing coal, which should have been in stockyards, was illicitly diverted and sold, resulting in a substantial financial loss to the public sector undertaking. He emphasized the need for immediate action to locate the missing coal and hold accountable those responsible for its disappearance.
Highlighting a series of alleged scandals involving Singareni since the Congress government took office in Telangana, KTR criticized the lack of a substantial response from the Central Government despite repeated appeals from BRS. He pointed out discrepancies between the official records on the Singareni website, which indicated the presence of 40 lakh tonnes of coal, and the physical verification that revealed the absence of the coal at the specified locations.
Rao raised questions about the responsibility for the missing coal and the absence of inspections by officials from the Union Coal Ministry or the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to address the situation. He stressed the importance of transparency and urged the Union Government to send an all-party delegation for on-site verification at the mines and stockyards to expose the alleged irregularities at Singareni.
