Kalvakuntla Kavitha asks Centre to rollback decision to privatise coal mines

Hyderabad: Protesting against the Central government's decision to privatise coal mines, coal mine workers across Telangana went on a 24-hour strike on 2 July. The former MP and daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Kalvakuntla Kavitha, has also demanded that the Centre roll back its decision to auction the mines to private companies.

In a tweet, Ms. Kavitha said, “Today across the Nation, thousands of coal mine workers are on strike demanding the central government to roll back the decision to auction coal blocks to private companies. The TRS party-affiliated TBGKS was also on strike today. We demand @PMOIndia to roll back the decision (sic).”

As part of their continuing protests, members of the TRS-affiliated Telangana Boggu Ghani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) protested against the Central government's decision to privatise coal mines here on Thursday. The day-long protest was held across Telangana.

The workers fear for their future and worry that privatisation will adversely impact Singareni coal mines in Telangana, which is a government-run public undertaking. Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the coal mine workers asked how this move is “an act of Atma Nirbhar Bharat”.

Last month, responding to the call of the former TRS MP Ms. Kavitha, the TBGKS had staged protests in all the mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) in Telangana. The president of TBGKS, Venkat Rao, general secretary Miriyal Raji Reddy, TRSKV president Ram Babu Yadav, and other members of TBGKS had protested in front of the SCCL office at Lakdikapul in Hyderabad.

Ms. Kavitha, who is also the former honorary president of the TGBKS, has strongly opposed the Centre’s decision to privatise Singareni collieries.