Mancherial district prone to pollution by opencast mines

Srirampur opencast mine in Adilabad

The new district Mancherial is more prone to pollution due to opencast mines and industries of ceramic in the area.

The soil removed from opencast mines piled up at various places in the coal belt areas and causing health problems in Srirampur, Mancherial, Mandamarri , Kasipet, Thandur, Rebbena and Goleti areas under all the five opencast mines which are now part of Mancherial district to be named after Adivasi legendary Kumram Bheem.

The opencast mines Srirampur, Ramakrishnapur, Dorli I and II, Khairiguda are functional. New opencast mine Kalyanikhani at Erraguntapalle in Manadamarri was proposed.

Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has conducted surveys for new opencast mines at various places in Asifabad and Sirpur (T) Assembly constituencies. Singareni is planning to establish opencast mines near Movvad and Jodeghat area.    

    

On the other hand, coal ash emerges as a by-product of the thermal power project established at Jaipur mandal in the Mancherial district being created.

A large number of people have already suffered from respiratory health problems including asthma and lung problems with the existing opencast mines. The Singareni is planning new opencast mines in the area which comes under the Mancherial district.

The temperatures are high in the coal belt area as the coal gets heat during the summer and people experience highest temperatures.

Comparatively, the temperatures are low in Adilabad and Nirmal with the huge forest cover and no opencast mines and industries emanate pollution. These two places are now being carved out as new districts.

Villagers of Erraguntapalle have been agitating for long time opposing the opencast mining coming up in their village in Mandamarri.

One can see the piled up soil looks like hills causing pollution in the area and opencast mines resulted in the drastic fall in the ground water, sinking tanks, hitting the agriculture, drinking water problem and losing fertile agriculture lands in addition to the health problems.

The opencast mines also cause displacement of Adivasis from their traditional habitat that is forest areas and creates unrest among them by making them laborers.

TRS-Affiliated coal union calls strike

The TRS affiliated recognized trade union at Singareni Boggugani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), has sent tremors of sorts in the ruling TRS party by serving the strike notice for an indefinite strike from September2 if their 53 demands are not met.

Nizamabad MP K.Kavitha is the acting honorary president of the TBGKS. The move is perceived as revolt of kind against the party and top leadership. It is learnt that the strike notice was served without her knowledge. The strike notice is being seen as a revolt of sorts against the party.  

Various trade unions at Singareni have been agitating for long time demanding that state government to pay the salary for the period of Sakala Janula Samme in which they participated during the Telangana agitation. They also want jobs for dependents, 25 percent bonus as a share in the profits in SCCL for the 2014-15.

TBGKS took the nationwide one –day token strike call given by the national trade unions for September 2 as the opportunity for its strike notice. 

The national unions gave call for nationwide strike in protest against the central government’s industrial policies and efforts to amend 47 Acts against the workers, employees and farmers’ welfare on September2. TBGKS is supporting the national wide strike.

It all started with the TRS party high command’s decision to merge both the Singareni Collieries Labors Union and TBGKS and form a new trade union and to appoint B. Venkat Rao as the president of the new union if Venkatrao join the party.

Congress party MLC B.Venkat Rao is acting as working president of Singareni Collieries Labors Union and Sanjeev Reddy is president of this union affiliated to the INTUC.

Both the groups in TBGKS led by former president Kengarla Mallaiah and Miryala Rajireddy were strongly opposing the merger proposals and handing over the leadership to Venkatrao.

The TBGKS leaders say that Venkatrao was an outsider and how he will be made leader of the new union after the merger of two unions against the wishes of the TBGKS leaders and its members.

A senior leader of TBGKS, said they built the TBGKS with brick by brick facing many hardships during the Telangana agitation and the union has emerged as recognized trade union over a period of time and added that Venkat Rao was nothing to do with the TBGKS and its growth.

Only 11 months period has left for the recognized trade union TBGKS and Venkatrao is reportedly trying to grab the opportunity to lead the organization for this period. TBGKS is called for general body meeting in Kothagudem in Khammam on August16 to decide future course of action.