Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday, January 24, refuted the allegations of irregularities in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), saying that the site visit certificate system was in place long before the Congress came to power in Telangana and there was no political interference in tender allocation.
Holding a press meet at Jyotirao Phule Bhavan and Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, the Deputy CM demanded managing director of ABN Andhra Jyothi, Vemuri Radhakrishna, retract his statements on SCCL, warning defamation charges otherwise.
On January 18, Bhatti had announced that SCCL would cancel the mining tender for the Naini coal block after a report by the news agency alleged he had a role in awarding the contract to certain companies.
The Deputy CM condemned the reports, saying that they damage the morale of nearly 42,000 permanent employees and 30,000 outsourcing workers of Singareni.
“For whose pleasure and to please whom Radhakrishna wrote those articles is known only to him….I have been in politics for 40 years. An attack on my personality, which is built on high ethical values, is unjustified. I have personally witnessed the hardships, blood, and sweat of Singareni workers. I will not allow vultures, predators, or powerful interests to descend on Singareni.” Bhatti said.
The previous day, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Harish Rao wrote to Union Coal Minister Kishan Reddy asking for a CBI probe into the SCCL tender cancellation. Bhatti said he is ready for an inquiry into all tenders awarded by Singareni since 2014.
He said that as soon as Chief Minister Revanth Reddy returns from his Davos trip, he will ensure that orders are issued for a thorough investigation.
Bhatti also clarified that no tenders or tender-related files from Singareni come to him or the state government, as Singareni is an autonomous body.
He stated that mandatory site visits were not introduced during the Congress’s tenure and were not unique to Singareni. The Deputy CM presented evidence during the conference showing that the condition existed in 2018, 2021, and 2023 tender documents that were prepared by the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDIL).
He said the site visit condition is also followed by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), IITs, IIMs, finance and defence departments, Gujarat PSUs, and several other organisations across the country.
He said tender norms prepared by the CMPDIL clearly mandated site inspection, and Singareni has been following the rule since 2018.
He also rejected allegations by Harish Rao that handing over diesel supply to contractors had opened doors to another scam, saying that the system was introduced in 2022 during the BRS’s tenure to address GST changes and prevent diesel theft.
He also refuted claims that Singareni tenders were being awarded to Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law, Srujan Reddy, saying that the company in question, Shodha Constructions Private Limited, is headed by Deepti Reddy, daughter of former BRS MLA Kandala Upender Reddy, and that Srujan is her husband.
He also said that five major contractors operating across Singareni are relatives or close associates of BRS leaders.
