Mancherial: Singareni fails to provide facilities to miners during Covid-19

Mancherial: With the State government allowing mining operations to function, the Singareni management has started functioning during the lockdown but reportedly not providing facilities and preventive measures to avoid coronavirus to its miners. Already the workers have to work under high temperatures and now the Covid-19 is an extra threat for them.

There are six opencast mines in Bellampalli, Mandamarri and Srirampur areas in Mancherial district and temperatures in these areas will be more compared to other areas. In opencast mines, temperatures will be about 40 to 45 degrees. The miners alleged that the management has failed to provide drinking water facility and shelter in the opencast mines for the workers to take rest for some time.

Now during the Covid-19 threat, the management is not sanitising the vehicles when the shift changes and not spraying disinfectant to prevent the virus. Most of production of Singareni company is depended on opencast mines only and the management is neglecting to provide basic facilities to its workers, who are toiling to reach the company's target of coal production.

Morning shift will be from 6 am to 1 pm and evening shift will be from 4 pm to 11 pm in the mines but the temperatures are not decreasing even after 7 pm. The management is setting up temporary sheds and providing butter milk in some mines.

Speaking to The Hans India, Mothe Lachanna, EP Operator at Ramakrishnapur opencast mine (RKPOC) expressed his dissatisfaction that the management is not providing at least drinking water and shelter in summer for the workers to take rest for a while.

Explaining that the temperature in the opencast mines will be five degrees more than outside the mines, he demanded the management to provide shelter and drinking water to its workers.

Medishetti Venkateshwarlu, EP Operator at Srirampur opencast mine (SRP OC), said that they are worried of infected with coronavirus as their vehicles are not being sanitised after every shift. A few workers are bringing their own sanitisers as the management had distributed 100 ml bottle of sanitisers twice during April and nothing after that, he added.