Chaos prevailed at the 21 Incline underground mine in Yellandu on Wednesday when agitated members of the AITUC staged a sit-in at the entrance of the mine in protest against the alleged canvassing by an official of the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) on behalf of the ruling TRS-backed TBGKS after the campaign had closed on Tuesday for Thursday’s election.
The protesters squatted at the main gate of the underground mine demanding stern action against an official of the coal mine charging him with campaigning in favour of the TBGKS at the worksite in brazen violation of the “moral code of conduct.”
The local police rushed to the spot and dispersed the protesters. A delegation of the AITUC submitted a memorandum to the election authorities seeking action against the official of the 21 Incline Mine, AITUC sources said.
The SCCL sources, however, denied the allegations against the official of the underground mine.
In a statement, the CITU-affiliated Singareni Collieries Employees Union (SCEU) general secretary Manda Narasimha Rao alleged that the persons at the helm of affairs were resorting to unethical practices to ensure the victory of the ruling party backed TBGKS in the SCCL’s union election.
He said representations had been submitted to the election authorities to check the “undemocratic practices” and hold the Thursday’s election in a free and fair manner.