SCCL fulfilling assurances given to workers: Minister

Hyderabad : Energy Minister Jagadish Reddy said that the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has been fulfilling all the assurances made to its workers.

In his reply to a question raised by TDP MLAs S. Venkata Veeraiah and R. Krishnaiah in Telangana Legislative Assembly during Question Hour on Wednesday, the minister said that the most of assurances were Statutory and SCCL has been extending more than the Statutory benefits to all the working force of SCCL and it is a continuing process.

Explaining the strategies being adopted by the SCCL with regard to coal mines, the minister said it has been decided to open 13 new mines (6 underground and 7 opencast) in the coming years. It has also been decided to increase the capacity of underground mines by introducing bulk production technologies like continuous miner and Long wall; Convert the underground mines into open cast mines where amicable reserves for underground mining are exhausted and expand existing opencast mines to enhance production capacity wherever feasible.

Jagadish Reddy said that the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, has been requested for allocation of coal blocks outside the State of Telangana to further increase the production capacity.