Union Minister for Coal and Mines G. Kishan Reddy on Tuesday alleged that certain vested interests had attempted to stall the allocation of the Tadicherla-2 coal mine block to the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) by citing a Supreme Court verdict. However, he said the Centre decided to allot the block to SCCL after completing all legal procedures to safeguard the company’s interests.Without naming those involved, Mr. Reddy said some elements had tried to “create panic and fear” to serve the interests of private companies. He credited the efforts of Telangana MPs, who submitted representations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which strongly raised the issue on behalf of workers, for helping secure the allocation.Speaking to the media at Tadicherla village on the second day of his tour of Singareni coal mines and after interacting with miners, the Union Minister urged SCCL management to expedite the process of obtaining the necessary approvals and clearances to begin mining operations in the Tadicherla-2 coal block, which he described as the largest in south India, besides dubbed it as the “Baahubali Coal Block”.Mr. Reddy said the allocation of the coal block, estimated to be worth around ₹1.20 lakh crore, had faced several hurdles over nearly two decades. The issue was first discussed during the tenure of the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, he recalled. The block is estimated to contain 350 million metric tonnes of coal reserves and has the potential to sustain coal production for the next 40 to 50 years.He said the project is expected to generate around 2,000 permanent jobs and more than 5,000 contractual jobs. In addition, it would create livelihood opportunities for thousands of people in allied sectors such as transport, workshops, hospitality and small businesses, while contributing to the socio-economic development of the region.Later, at a meeting with workers in Ramagundam Area-I, Mr. Reddy criticised the previous BRS government and the present Congress government, accusing them of neglecting SCCL and forcing the company to rely on bank loans to pay employee salaries.He urged workers to examine why SCCL, despite playing a crucial role in the country’s power generation sector, was facing financial stress. He attributed the situation to pending dues of around ₹18,000 crore from the State government for coal supplied to power generation utilities and power-supply-related arrears of about ₹6,000 crore after the current regime came to power.State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, BJP Legislature Party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy and others were present. Published - July 14, 2026 08:31 pm IST