The Telangana government has announced a ₹596 crore Dasara profit-sharing package for Singareni Collieries Company Limited workers, with 38,737 permanent employees set to receive an average payment of ₹1,53,912 and 29,717 contract workers receiving ₹5,500 each.
Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced the decision at a media conference at Praja Bhavan, alongside IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu. The payment represents 34% of Singareni’s profits, according to the minister, and continues the profit-sharing practice followed in previous years.
SCCL recorded a net profit of ₹1,754 crore this year, of which ₹596 crore will be distributed among workers. The government said it would continue to support both permanent employees and contract workers, with the ₹5,500 payment for contract workers matching the amount paid last year.
Vikramarka attributed the decline in Singareni’s profits compared with the previous year to several factors, including the closure of existing coal blocks and the company’s inability to secure additional blocks. He alleged that the previous BRS government had failed to obtain new coal blocks during its 10-year tenure and that Singareni had been prevented from participating in auctions conducted by the Central Government.
The minister said the company had missed opportunities to participate in auctions involving approximately 141 coal blocks. He added that around 14 existing blocks had closed, affecting production and revenue, and said new blocks would be required to replace them.
The state government is pursuing several blocks to expand Singareni’s operations, including Tadicherla-II, Koyagudem Block-III, the Manuguru PK Open Cast-II dip-side block and Naini. The announcement comes as the company faces accumulated dues of approximately ₹29,000 crore to various agencies over the past 10 years. Vikramarka said the government was taking steps to ensure the gradual payment of amounts owed to Singareni by Telangana Genco and TG Transco.
The government also announced measures linked to housing and worker administration in Singareni areas. Vikramarka said the company had been directed to expedite the issue of house-site pattas to eligible beneficiaries for approximately 1,250 acres remaining from land returned by Singareni to the revenue department. He said 4,500 acres out of the 5,774 acres returned had previously been distributed as house-site pattas to poor beneficiaries during the earlier Congress government under former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
A committee of Singareni officials and the district collector will prepare a preliminary list of people living in encroached residential areas. After consultations with local MLAs, a comprehensive list of eligible beneficiaries is expected to be prepared within a month, according to the minister.
The government also said it would complete pending formalities for approximately 250 to 300 dependent employment cases within the next 15 days and issue appointment orders to eligible candidates. To reduce inconvenience for workers seeking medical invalidation, Bhatti directed the management to hold medical board meetings on designated days every month at area hospitals across Singareni’s jurisdiction.
Officials will examine the possibility of allocating Singareni land for an agricultural research centre in the Bhupalpally assembly constituency. They have also been asked to report on the availability of unused hillock land held by the revenue department as an alternative site. The next milestones announced by the government are the completion of the encroachment survey within a month and the processing of eligible dependent employment cases within 15 days.
