Hyderabad: The BRS (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) has criticized the government’s announcement of a bonus for Singareni collieries workers, calling it insufficient. BRS leaders argue that workers are not receiving their fair share of the company’s profits.
According to the party, workers are entitled to 33 percent of the profits, which would amount to Rs 1,551 crore. However, the government has only allocated Rs 796 crore for the workers. This has led to frustration among the workers, as BRS claims each worker is missing out on Rs 1.80 lakh.
A meeting was held at Telangana Bhavan on Sunday with public representatives and leaders from the Singareni coal belt area. They pointed out that Singareni reported profits of Rs 4,701 crore, and the workers should receive a 33 percent share, which equals Rs 1,551 crore. The BRS leaders argued that the government should distribute this amount or clarify that only 16.9 percent is being given, instead of misleading the public by claiming a 33 percent allocation.
KT Rama Rao (KTR), a key BRS leader, compared the situation to the Congress’s time in power. He noted that during the Congress’s ten-year rule, workers only received Rs 365 crore, while the BRS government has provided Rs 2,780 crore over the last decade. KTR also mentioned that, when BRS first took office, workers received a profit share of Rs 17,000, but under their leadership, this amount increased to Rs 1.7 lakh.
KTR also warned that both the Congress and BJP have plans to privatize Singareni, and this could negatively affect workers. He called on the workers to demand action from their local Congress MLAs and press them to ensure justice is served for the Singareni employees.
In his closing remarks, KTR urged workers to send the 13 MLAs from the Singareni belt area to the Chief Minister to address their concerns. He stressed that the ministers from this region should take responsibility and secure a fair outcome for the workers.
