BRS terms bonus to SCCL workmen bogus, cries foul

Hyderabad: The BRS has criticized the government’s bonus announcement for Singareni collieries staff, labeling it as inadequate and asserting that workers are being deprived of their rightful share. Party leaders claim that workers should receive 33 percent of the profits, amounting to Rs 1,551 crore, but they were only allocated just over Rs 796 crore.

A meeting of public representatives and leaders from the Singareni coal belt area was held at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday, where they highlighted that each worker is facing a loss of Rs 1.80 lakh. The leaders stated that the company reported profits of Rs 4,701 crore, and thus, a 33 percent share should have equated to Rs 1,551 crore. They argued that the government should distribute Rs 796 crore, ensuring every worker receives Rs 3.70 lakh as a bonus. “Either the government should distribute the entire profit share or announce that only 16.9 percent will be given, but they shouldn’t mislead the public by claiming that a 33 percent share has been allocated to workers,” stated KT Rama Rao.

KTR further pointed out that during the Congress's decade in power, they managed to provide only Rs 365 crore, while the BRS government has given Rs 2,780 crore to workers over its ten-year tenure. “Previous governments in undivided Andhra Pradesh never offered a bonus of at least ten percent. When we assumed power, the profit share for a worker was Rs 17,000, and when we left, it rose to Rs 1.7 lakh. Is this the legacy that Congress leaders provide to the coal belt, which ensured their electoral success? We have warned that both Congress and BJP intend to privatize Singareni,” KTR added.

He urged workers to pressure local Congress MLAs, stating, “Send the 13 MLAs from the Singareni belt area to the chief minister. The Ministers from this area must respond and ensure justice is served.”