HYDERABAD

Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka has told the management of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd to achieve allotment of new coal blocks in other States and produce quality coal to sustain in the competitive coal market.

In a meeting with Ministers and legislators of the coal belt area held here on Monday, he said the State Government was committed to extend all cooperation to SCCL for its development and was resolved to fulfil all promises made in the coal belt before the Assembly elections.

He stressed the need to get allotment of new coal blocks in other States where quality coal could be mined at lesser production costs compared to the depleting quality and quantity of coal in the Singaereni mines. The coal in the new mines of other States would have good quality and as a result it would have good demand in the coal market.

The Deputy Chief Minister criticised the previous BRS government for its inability to get new coal mines allotted in other States despite being in power for 10 years. The elected representatives of the coal belt brought the problems in the areas to the notice of the Deputy Chief Minister at the meeting.

Mr. Vikramarka told the Singareni authorities to take into consideration the suggestions made by the coal belt area legislators and said he would review the progress of action on their suggestions every fortnight.

Ministers D. Sridhar Babu, D. Seethaka, Advisor to Government H. Venugopal, MP P. Balram Naik, MLAs K. Premsagar Rao, Makkan Singh Raj Thakur, G. Vinod, Vijaya Ramana Rao, P. Venkateswarlu, G. Satynarayana, M. Ragamayi, K. Kanakaiah, M. Ramdas Naik, K. Sambasiva Rao and K. Laxmi, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) Navin Mittal, CMD of SCCL Buddhaprakash Jyoti, Director Gowtham Potru and others participated in the meeting.