Coal stocks maintenance is normal practice: SCCL CMD Buddhaprakash Jyoti

Hyderabad: The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) that has been supplying coal uninterruptedly to several southern states for decades, has 26 lakh tons of coal stock in various mines and coal handling plants (CHP) as on June 4, and it was the lowest stock level recorded in the past decade.SCCL chairman and managing director Buddhaprakash Jyoti on Saturday said such stock maintenance is a normal operational practice followed by all coal-producing companies and is essential for monsoon and power supply.“Without stock, uninterrupted coal supply to thermal power station may be difficult. To ensure reliable power generation, SCCL maintains a minimum stock of around 3 million tonnes (30 lakh tonnes), equivalent to approximately 15 days of thermal power station requirements,” the CMD said in a statement on Saturday indirectly responding to BRS working president KTR’s allegations on 40 lakh MT coal stocks in Singareni.The CMD said the practice is not new, has been followed for several years. “Coal stocks have been maintained in a similar manner since 2014. SCCL had 70 lakh MT of coal stock in 2015-16 and 74 lakh MT of stock in 2016-17. From 2014 to 2024, the average coal stock maintained at mines and CHPs was around 50 lakh MT,” he said.On the controversial site visit certificate introduced during a tender recently, which became a controversial issue, Buddhaprakash said the primary purpose of the Site Visit Certificate was to ensure that bidders fully understand, site conditions, safety requirements, scope of work and local operational challenges.“Due to insufficient understanding of local conditions, some contractors either abandoned the work midway or executed it at a slow pace. This has resulted in reduced operational efficiency, loss of coal production for SCCL, financial losses to contractors, legal and contractual disputes,” the CMD said.He said the ACB on the request of SCCL, conducted an enquiry into previous medical boards of SCCL that conducts medical board assessments for providing dependent and compassionate appointments. The ACB arrested two employees and departmental action has also been initiated against them.ends/