BRS Alleges Congress Govt Planning to Privatise Telangana Power Utilities
BRS leader G. Jagadish Reddy alleges the Congress government in Telangana is planning to privatise power utilities, including Singareni Collieries, and accuses it of diverting G9 grade coal to other States.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has accused the Telangana government of preparing to privatise the State's power utilities, including Singareni Collieries, alleging that the move is aimed at benefiting favoured corporate entities.
Addressing reporters, former Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy intends to transfer control of the transmission corporation and the distribution companies to private players. He claimed the Transco is profitable while the Discoms are running losses largely because of outstanding government dues.
Recalling the State's early years after formation in 2014, the BRS leader said Telangana was then unable to supply even 12 hours of power to domestic, commercial and industrial consumers. He said the previous BRS government achieved round-the-clock supply for these sectors within four months of taking office, and extended it to agriculture from December 2017, after heavy investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure.
He argued that power distribution privatisation has failed elsewhere in the country, citing Odisha and cities such as Delhi and Mumbai, and said consumers there face difficulties, including being penalised for unpaid bills of other utilities like water supply. He added that despite political pressure, former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao did not hand over power generation contracts to private companies, awarding them instead to Genco and BHEL.
On the G9 grade coal issue recently raised by the government in connection with below-rated capacity generation at the Yadadri Thermal Power Station, Mr. Jagadish Reddy alleged that Singareni was being made to divert good quality coal, including G9 grade, to thermal plants in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. He questioned the rationale behind pit-head power stations, asking why such plants were set up at Vijayawada and Muddanur in Kadapa district, and why Singareni was planning a thermal plant in Rajasthan. He noted that the January 26 board meeting of Singareni recorded that G9 grade coal is being mined in 13 of its mines.