THE Telangana state committee of CPI(M) organised the ‘Singareni Parirakshana Yatra (Save Singareni Jatha)’ from July 29 to August 5. The jatha was led by CPI(M) state secretariat member S Veeraiah, along with state committee members, Bhupal and P Ashiah. The jatha demanded that the government of India repeal the auction of coal blocks and directly assign the Sravanpally coal block to Singareni Collieries Company. The jatha reiterated that it is the right of Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd., a public sector company with a 51:49 share distribution between the state and central governments, to extract the coal deposits in Telangana. The jatha was inaugurated by Thammineni Veerabhadram, state secretary of the CPI(M), in Bellampally and culminated in Kothagudem with a public meeting where A Vijaya Raghavan, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, participated as the chief guest. B V Raghavulu, another Polit Bureau member, also participated in a public meeting in Godavarikhani during the jatha on July 31. A cultural team of seven members accompanied the jatha.

The union government initiated the auction process for 67 coal blocks across eight states on June 21 in Hyderabad, including the Sravanapally coal block from Telangana. Singareni Collieries Company has been mining coal in Telangana for 150 years. The Pranahitha-Godavari Valley in Telangana holds 8,791 million tons of coal deposits, which can be extracted over the next 200 years. Singareni conducted extensive surveys, investing huge amounts of money to identify these coal blocks. Currently, there are 48 mines here. Naturally, it is the responsibility of Singareni Collieries Company to extract all these coal deposits in the interest of the people. Singareni has already identified 15 coal blocks, but instead of allowing Singareni to extract the coal, the Modi government decided to auction them. The Sravanapally coal block is one of these 15 blocks. In 2021, the union government allotted two coal blocks, Koyagudem and Sathupally, to private companies. However, coal extraction has not yet commenced due to legal issues. The CPI(M) jatha demanded that the government take back these two coal blocks and allot them to Singareni. On July 29, the day the jatha started, the ministry of coal issued orders amending the rules for the land utilisation policy, removing the legal hurdles and paving the way for private operators to begin mining in those two blocks as well. This amendment reflects the adamant attitude of the Modi government.

The people of Telangana in general, and Singareni employees in particular, did not expect this betrayal by the BJP government. Although the privatisation policy of coal mines was developed by both UPA and NDA governments, people did not anticipate this auction immediately after the parliamentary elections. A majority of the people voted for Congress and BJP in the recent elections, with BJP securing eight parliamentary seats, two of which have resulted in ministerial positions at the central level. Kishan Reddy, state president of BJP, has been appointed as the coal minister. BJP claims to be one of the political parties that fought for Telangana statehood, and Kishan Reddy presents himself as a ‘son of the soil’ of Telangana. Given these factors, people hoped that they might protect Singareni, but they were deceived when the auction inauguration was held in Hyderabad itself. To the surprise of the people, Bhatti Vikramarka, deputy chief minister of Telangana, was also present at the programme alongside coal minister Kishan Reddy. The Congress government in the state formally requested the central government to directly allot the Sravanapally coal block to Singareni. However, in practice, chief minister              A Revanth Reddy deputed the deputy chief minister to attend the inaugural function of the auction programme.

During the assembly sessions in Telangana, which coincided with the jatha, demands were made for the chief minister to pass a resolution in the assembly, urging the allotment of the Sravanapally coal block directly to Singareni. The jatha also called on the chief minister to lead an all-party delegation from Telangana to pressurise the prime minister on this matter. However, there has been no response from the state government. When two other coal blocks were allotted to private companies in 2021, the then KCR government also requested the centre to allot them directly to Singareni but did not attempt to stop the auction programme. People observed that these three political parties – BJP, Congress, and BRS – compete during elections but align when it comes to the privatisation of coal blocks.

Already, mines in Bellampally and Yellandu areas have closed as there are no more coal deposits, and within three years, all mines in Mancherial district are expected to close. In Kothagudem and Manuguru, only one mine remains operational in each area. The management of Singareni anticipates that 20,000 workers may become surplus by 2030 if no new block is allotted to Singareni. Yet BJP, Congress, and BRS appear unconcerned with these realities. The jatha team has endeavored to explain all these facts to Singareni employees and the local communities around the mines. Singareni employees, including officers, appreciated CPI(M)’s efforts. The leadership of CPI(ML-Mass Line) extended its solidarity, and in some mines, local leaders of AITUC and INTUC also met with the jatha team and expressed their appreciation.

The jatha leaders stayed in the homes of Singareni workers and shared meals with them, surprising the workers and their families as they had never seen leaders staying with the workers. Typically, workers expect leaders to stay in guest houses or hotels when they visit. Staying with the workers allowed the jatha leaders to observe the family conditions closely and better understand their problems. The families of the Singareni workers not only extended warm hospitality but also shared their concerns with the jatha leaders. Despite decades of work in the coal mines, many Singareni workers have been unable to build their own houses. The conditions for contract workers are particularly dire. The jatha also demanded that all Singareni workers be provided with their own houses and that the management bear the taxes on perks. Additionally, the jatha called for the payment of minimum wages and the regularisation of contract workers.

To capitalists, the coal mines in Telangana appear as potential gold mines. Singareni, as a public sector company, offers relatively better salaries and benefits to its employees compared to private organisations. It has also developed infrastructure such as roads, parks, drinking water, drainage facilities, and electricity supply for all the people living around the coal mines as part of its social responsibility. Moreover, Singareni contributes significant amounts of money to educational institutions and hospitals and supplies coal and power at low cost. The company is a substantial source of income for both the central and state governments, having contributed more than Rs 71,000 crores over the last ten years. The state government still owes more than Rs 30,000 crores to Singareni Collieries. Despite these dues, Singareni continues to earn profits. This profitable background has attracted the interest of capitalist groups. If they can capture these coal deposits, they stand to make huge profits for the next 200 years. The BJP at the centre is now trying to hand over all the coal blocks to private parties, with Congress and BRS indirectly cooperating. The jatha leadership has worked to explain these issues to Singareni employees and the people in the surrounding communities.

Although the employees and the public appreciated the efforts of the CPI(M), they remain influenced by the BJP, Congress, and BRS – parties that continue to deceive them. Despite Singareni Collieries Company being a public sector undertaking, private contractors with their own manpower have been working alongside Singareni workers, extracting coal for the last two decades or more. The number of contract workers is almost equal to that of permanent workers. Migrant workers, who are denied all trade union rights and treated like slaves, are employed in the opencast mines. Against this backdrop, the union government is now attempting to allot coal blocks to private operators. This could leave Singareni without work, turning it into a loss-making unit. Yet, coal minister Kishan Reddy continues to deceive the public by claiming that Singareni Collieries is not being privatised.

While Singareni employees acknowledge these issues, they express doubts about whether all the unions within Singareni will unite. Before our jatha, some people believed that Singareni had no choice but to participate in tenders since the auction process had already been initiated. However, by the end of our jatha, some of them had changed their views and began demanding that the government repeal the auction process. Now, it is crucial that all the unions and associations within Singareni Collieries unite and fight to save the company. Not only the workers and officers, but also their families, must hold the government accountable. The people of Telangana should not leave this issue solely to Singareni employees; they must rise to the occasion and fight for the protection of Singareni. It is now the responsibility of the Left forces to go to the people and build a united movement.