BRS seeks Governor’s intervention for probe into irregularities in Singareni
Hyderabad, Jan 27 : Telangana’s main opposition party BRS on Tuesday sought Governor Jishnu Dev Varma’s intervention for a probe by CBI or a sitting judge into the alleged corruption and financial irregularities in the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL).
A delegation of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by party working president K. T. Rama Rao met the Governor and submitted a representation highlighting alleged irregularities related to tender, procurement, policy, and CSR funds.
The delegation presented documentary evidence related to alleged misuse of public funds, irregular tendering processes, and inflated project costs in mining and solar power projects undertaken by Singareni.
The BRS delegation informed the Governor that Singareni is jointly owned by the Telangana government (51 per cent) and the Government of India (49 per cent), stressing that every rupee involved was public money, and demanded urgent intervention to prevent further losses.
Addressing the media after the meeting, KTR said the party appealed to the Governor to initiate or recommend an independent probe—whether by the CBI or a sitting judge—into the alleged irregularities in Singareni’s OB mining projects and solar power ventures. It urged to immediately halt what he described as a “systematic siphoning of public funds”.
KTR said that the party had formally brought to the Governor’s notice the alleged “large-scale plunder” in Singareni and the government’s failure to provide credible explanations despite repeated disclosures made by BRS leaders, including former minister T. Harish Rao.
He stated that after BRS exposed the issue with supporting documents, the ruling party was unsettled, and instead of responding to the substance of the allegations, was attempting to divert public attention by summoning individuals in the name of inquiries.
The BRS leader alleged that the Chief Minister’s silence on the matter had led to widespread public anger in coal-mining regions. He remarked that workers increasingly felt that the state leadership was shielding the “coal mafia.”
He further accused the government of misusing nearly Rs 10 crore of Singareni funds for purposes unrelated to the core functioning of the company, asserting that this amounted to a grave injustice to the institution and its employees.
The BRS Working President raised several pointed questions regarding a newly introduced “Site Visit Certification” clause in tender processes—something he claimed had never existed earlier in Singareni or in coal mines elsewhere in the country.
He questioned why tenders that earlier attracted bids at rates below estimates were cancelled, only to be re-issued later with the new clause, allegedly resulting in costs rising well above projected values.
He demanded that the government release a comprehensive White Paper detailing the number of companies that conducted site visits over the last nine months, communications received by Singareni, certificates issued and criteria used for selecting contractors
KTR also questioned whether contractors were being selectively favoured and sought clarification on alleged links between certain beneficiaries and relatives of the Chief Minister.
On solar power projects, he alleged that while the national average cost stood at Rs 2.5–3 crore per megawatt, Singareni projects in Telangana were tendered at nearly Rs 7 crore per megawatt, calling for an explanation for what he termed as a massive escalation.
He also flagged a reported 30 per cent increase in the prices of explosives and gelatine sticks used in mining operations, stating that even Singareni directors had objected to the hike in board meetings, but were instead subjected to action while contractors allegedly benefited.