Kothagudem: Singareni workers protest against privatisation of coal mines

Kothagudem: Singareni Collieries Workers Union ( AITUC) leaders stage protest and sat on a one-day hunger strike against the privatisation of the coal mines here on Tuesday.

A large number of leaders and workers came on the roads and participated in a huge protest rally. However, the police and security staff of the company did not allow them enter into the corporate office.

A mild tension and an argument took place between the police and workers. The workers raised anti-government slogans.

Former MLA and Singareni Collieries Workers Union ( AITUC) honourary president Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao came down heavily on the BJP-led Central government's policies against the SCCL.

Speaking on the occasion, the MLA demanded the Central government to immediately rollback the decision of priviatisation of four blocks of Singareni. He said, the blocks should be allotted to Singareni immediately, he demanded.

He said, the SCCL management should pay benefits to all the workers on the line of the Coal India. He demanded that the company should immediately arrange suitable jobs to the workers who are unfit to work underground mines. He also demanded SCCL to follow the old system of leaves for the workers.

He said, the BJP government at the Centre is planning to privatise the SCCL to support Adani and Ambani groups. He asked Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to support Singareni. He said if Prime Minister Modi does not stop the privatisation of coal mines, with the support of workers he will lay siege to Modi's house in Delhi.

Singareni Collieries Workers Union general Secretary V Seetha Ramaiah, CPI district secretary SK Shabeer Pasha, AITUC district secretary G Satyanarayana, Central Committee member D Seshiaha, K Saraiah, Vanga Venkat, G Veera Swamy another's participated in the programme.