Says Tadicherla-2 Is Not a Fresh Allocation but Only Mining Lease Approval for a 2013 Allotment
THE JOURNALIST POST | HYDERABAD | July 8, 2026
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Wednesday alleged that the Union Government was presenting misleading information regarding the Tadicherla-2 Coal Block, asserting that it was not a fresh allocation to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) but merely prior approval for a mining lease on a block that had already been allotted in 2013.
Addressing a press conference at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad, Bhatti Vikramarka said the Tadicherla-2 coal block had been allotted to SCCL by the then Union Ministry of Coal on September 16, 2013, following repeated requests made by Singareni between 2010 and 2012. He claimed that the Centre delayed granting the required mining lease approval for over a decade, preventing SCCL from commencing mining operations and causing significant losses to the company.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the present Telangana Government had consistently pursued the issue after assuming office. He stated that he personally met Union Coal Ministers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions and submitted multiple representations seeking prior approval for the mining lease. He recalled meeting the then Union Coal Minister on March 7, 2024, and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy again on May 20, 2026, requesting immediate clearance for the already allotted coal block.
Bhatti Vikramarka welcomed the Centre’s decision to grant the mining lease approval but objected to describing it as a fresh allocation. He maintained that documentary evidence clearly showed the block had already been allotted to SCCL in 2013 and urged the Centre to acknowledge the factual position.
The Deputy Chief Minister further argued that coal blocks located in Scheduled Tribal Areas governed by the 1/70 Tribal Land Regulation should not be auctioned to private companies. He stated that mining activities in such areas should be carried out only by public sector undertakings like SCCL, in accordance with the law. He alleged that the auction of the Koyagudem-3 Open Cast Block and the Open Cast Dip Side Mine in Manuguru to private entities violated these legal provisions.
Calling upon the Union Government to demonstrate its commitment to protecting Singareni, Bhatti Vikramarka demanded that all coal blocks in the Godavari Valley coalfields be allotted directly to SCCL. He urged the Centre to withdraw coal blocks already allotted to private companies, including Koyagudem-3 Open Cast Block and Sathupalli Open Cast-3 Block, where mining operations have not yet begun, and transfer them to Singareni instead.
He also proposed that future coal block allocations in the Godavari Valley region should be made through the Government-to-Government (G2G) mechanism rather than auctions, considering the tribal land regulations and local conditions prevailing in the region.
SCCL Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Buddha Prakash Jyothi, Directors Venkateswarlu and Gautam Potru, along with senior company officials, attended the media conference.
