BRS seeks Governor’s intervention, alleges irregularities in Singareni operations
HYDERABAD: A delegation of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), led by its working president K.T. Rama Rao, on January 27, 2026, met Governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum alleging corruption and financial irregularities in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) under the Congress government.
Memorandum flags tenders, mining and solar projects
The delegation, comprising Members of Parliament, legislators and senior party leaders, submitted documents alleging misuse of public funds, irregular tendering and inflated costs in Singareni’s mining and solar power projects.
Addressing reporters after the meeting, Rama Rao said the party had brought to the Governor’s notice what he described as large-scale irregularities in Singareni and the government’s failure to offer explanations despite repeated disclosures by BRS leaders, including former minister T. Harish Rao.
Questions over new tender clause and cost escalation
Rama Rao alleged that after the issues were raised with supporting documents, the ruling party sought to divert attention by summoning individuals in the name of inquiries instead of responding to the allegations. He said the Chief Minister’s silence had fuelled anger in coal-mining regions, with workers believing that the state leadership was shielding a “coal mafia”.
He claimed that nearly ₹10 crore of Singareni funds had been diverted for purposes unrelated to the company’s core operations. The BRS leader questioned the introduction of a “site visit certification” clause in tenders, stating that such a provision did not exist earlier in Singareni or other coal mines. He alleged that tenders which earlier drew bids below estimates were cancelled and reissued with the new clause, leading to higher costs.
Rama Rao demanded a White Paper detailing the number of companies that conducted site visits in the last nine months, communications received by Singareni, certificates issued and the criteria for selecting contractors.
Solar power, explosives pricing also flagged
On solar power projects, he alleged that while the national average cost was ₹2.5–3 crore per megawatt, Singareni projects were tendered at nearly ₹7 crore per megawatt. He also flagged a reported 30% increase in prices of explosives and gelatin sticks used in mining, claiming that Singareni directors who objected to the hike were proceeded against while contractors benefited.
The delegation told the Governor that Singareni is jointly owned by the Telangana government (51%) and the Union government (49%), asserting that the funds involved were public money.
Rama Rao said the party had appealed to the Governor to initiate or recommend an independent probe, either by the Central Bureau of Investigation or a sitting judge, into the alleged irregularities in Singareni’s overburden mining and solar power projects.
