Telangana coal unions want private players barred

HYDERABAD: Five employees unions, on Friday, demanded that the Central government immediately withdraw the proposed commercial coal mining by private players, as it is detrimental to the interests of coal employees.

The SCMLU-INTUC, SCWU-AITUC, SCE&W-HMS, SCEU-CITU and GLBKS-IFTU submitted a memorandum to the Director (PA&W) of SCCL in Kothagudem to this effect.

SCMLU-INTUC activists staged a one-day dharna in Kothagudem against the privatisation of CIL and SCCL. “Do not open doors for private players for commercial coal mining parallel to CIL (Coal India Limited) and SCCL,” they urged.

Coal produced by private players to whom the new coal blocks would be allocated through auction would engage contact labour for coal exploration and the price of coal per tonne would be cheaper than CIL and SCCL, they explained.