Established in the year 1920, the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd is currently the largest coal mines of South India. The public undertaking jointly owned by the State and the Union Government has expanded its operations in four districts in the state. It currently operates with 15 open casts and 35 underground mines in Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Adilabad. The extractions are carried out from the Godavari Valley coalfield of Telangana state. This coal repository is the only one existing in the entire South India. The share of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd till 2012-13 was 1085.40 million tonnes of coal from the repository.
Origin of Singareni:
The first traces of coal were discovered by Dr. King of the Geological Survey of India in 1871 near the village of Yellandu in Khammam district. The mining rights for this were issued to Hyderabad (Deccan) Co. Ltd in 1886. Finally, the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) was formed as a public limited company under the Hyderabad Companies act. The primary function of the newly established company was exploring the coal deposits in Singareni Godavari Valley Coalfield. Around 22207 million tonnes of coal reserves were estimated to be extractable at a depth of 1200 metres.
The journey of SCCL from its formation till date had been an interesting one. The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) had taken over the assets and liabilities of Hyderabad (Deccan) Company Ltd. at the time of its inception itself. It was then acquired by the then Hyderabad State in 1945 by way of acquisition of majority of shares in the firm. The company was then turned into a Govt. run organization. This transition took place during 1945 – 1956. The management of the company switched many hands. It rested with Hyderabad Construction Co., Ltd from 1945 till 1949. Industrial Trust Fund took over from 1949 onwards. The Companies Act, 1956 also benefitted the company by reshaping it and evolved it as a Government owned organization. Then in 1960, the Indian Govt participated in the equity holdings of the company. The Govt holdings resulted in the company being jointly owned by the State as well as the Union Government. However, the Govt., of India transferred its shares to the Coal Mines Authority Limited in 1974. The expansion of SCCL was planned and the quadripartite or the four-party agreement was signed between SCCL, the State government, the Government of India and Coal India Limited. There was yet another tripartite agreement signed between Singareni Coal mines (SCCL), State Government and the Government of India for the financial and other planning for the growth of the company. These agreements were signed by the stakeholders at various phases between 1985 and 2010. The discussions and decisions were formalized and signed on 31st March, 1985, 10th February 1989, 24th September 1994, 11th January 2002, 19th October 2004 and on 11th June 2010.
Awards received by Singareni Collieries: Some of the awards bagged by SCCL:
- The Best Management Award in 2001-02 from the State Government;
- The Golden Peacock Environment Management Award in 2005 from World Environment Foundation, New Delhi;
- The Environmental Excellence Award from Green Tech Foundation in 2005-06;
- The Indira Gandhi Vriksha Mitra Award – 2004 for outstanding contributions made in the field of afforestation and waste land development on 5 June 2007, at New Delhi;
- The Infraline Energy Excellence Award 2007 under Corporate Excellence category;
- The Black Diamond Award for coal sector Development in 2007, at New Delhi.
The company has been performing well in all segments. It has recently stood by its commitment of gearing to scale new heights by setting up a 1200 MW power plant at Jaipur in Adilabad district in 2014. The estimation of the total cost for the setting up of the plant was around 6000 crores. The company is equipped with the latest and advanced technology to meet the future demands for coal. Coal is an essential requirement all over the globe. It contributes to about 27% of the total demand for primary energy for countries. Besides it is also an essential raw material for steel and other associated industries. Hence the company had to gear up on the scales in order to meet the increasing demand for coal.
Important Towns/villages of the Singareni Collieries Coal Basin in Telangana:
Ramagundam
Mancherial
Godavarikhani
Bellampalli
Mandamarri
Bhupalpally
Kothagudem
How to reach:
Singareni has its presence across 4 districts of Telangana. It can be easily accessible by rail, road as well as by air. Buses can be availed from Hyderabad to multiple towns/villages of Singareni coal mines region i.e.Mancherial, Godavarikhani, Bhupalpally, Kothagudem, Ramagundam, The Gandhipuram Hal, Karepalli etc. The international airport at Hyderabad is the nearest airport. On reaching Hyderabad, one may again take a bus or travel by train to reach the Singareni coal mines region.
Nearest Railway Station:
The Singareni coal region is properly connected with good railway facilities. Railway Station like Mancherial, Ramagundam, Bellampalli, etc are present on the Secunderabad – Kazipet – Ballarsha Railway network. Other important nearby Railway Junction is Kazipet/Warangal which connects all major cities of Telangana and India. Hence one may reach the Singareni coal mines region without much of hassles.
Official Website: www.scclmines.com