Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi working president K.T. Rama Rao on Friday demanded a Central investigation into the alleged Singareni coal disappearance involving nearly 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal valued at around Rs 1,600 crore.
In a letter to Union Coal Minister G. Kishan Reddy, KTR questioned how such a large quantity of coal, reportedly reflected in official stock records, could allegedly go missing without accountability.
He urged the Union Government to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and determine the whereabouts of the coal.
Singareni coal disappearance raises accountability questions
KTR alleged that coal which should have remained in Singareni stockyards was illegally diverted and sold, causing a loss of nearly Rs 1,600 crore to the public sector company.
According to him, the Centre should immediately identify those responsible and initiate appropriate action.
The BRS leader further alleged that Singareni had become associated with a series of controversies since the Congress government assumed office in Telangana.
He referred to the Naini coal mine tender controversy and other alleged irregularities. Moreover, he claimed that authorities had not provided satisfactory responses despite repeated demands from the BRS.
KTR said official records available on the Singareni website reportedly showed around 40 lakh metric tonnes of coal across several mining areas.
He named Mandamarri, Srirampur, Ramagundam-I, Ramagundam-II, Bhupalpally, Yellandu and Sathupalli among the locations listed in the records.
However, he alleged that physical verification did not find the coal stocks at the designated sites.
Singareni coal disappearance sparks demand for verification
KTR claimed records indicated that authorities had paid coal cess and income tax on the reported stocks.
Therefore, he questioned how the coal could allegedly be absent from the locations where records showed it existed.
He also asked why officials from the Union Coal Ministry and the Comptroller and Auditor General had not conducted inspections so far.
“The coal of Singareni belongs to the people of Telangana. Both the State and Central Governments are collectively endangering the future of this institution,” KTR said.
Furthermore, he alleged that if no understanding existed between the State and Central governments, the Centre should immediately order a thorough investigation and take stringent action against those responsible.
Demanding greater transparency, KTR urged the Union Government to send an all-party delegation to the concerned mines and stockyards for on-ground verification.
According to him, such an exercise would reveal the extent of the alleged irregularities linked to the Singareni coal disappearance.