Hyderabad: A two-member technical team, appointed by the Centre, will investigate key aspects of Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) and look into six aspects of the mines to provide a detailed report within two days. According to highly placed sources, the committee will not only look into tender issue, but also into the agreement between Telangana, the Centre and the company, SCCL.The team, consisting deputy director general of the ministry of coal Chetna Shukla and director Marapally Venkateshwarlu, thoroughly explored the mining operations during their two-day field visit on Saturday and Sunday. Upon concluding their site assessments, they departed for Delhi along with Union coal minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday.The sources said preliminary insights indicate that several significant decisions were made without adequately informing the Singareni Board. The technical team has been tasked with analysing six pivotal points.The first point of focus is the notice inviting tender (NIT) dated Nov 28, 2025, which pertains to the selection of a mine developer and operator for the Naini coal block, a critical asset of SCCL, located in Odisha. Their investigation would entail a thorough examination of the factors that led to the cancellation of the tender, as well as a comparative analysis of the best practices employed by other coal companies in formulating NITs for mine developer operators (MDOs).The second significant issue on their agenda is the outstanding coal dues owed by SCCL to its consumers. The third point will address the pending dues to the district mineral foundation. Moving on, they will evaluate the alignment of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending pattern and amounts with the statutory provisions governing CSR as the fourth aspect.The fifth focus area encompasses a detailed review of the tripartite agreement between SCCL, the central govt, and the Telangana govt. Finally, the team will examine the coal prices and the resultant hesitance among consumers to procure coal from SCCL.According to the sources, during a review meeting held with SCCL officials over the weekend, the Union coal minister urged his team to explore strategies aimed at reducing the cost of coal from SCCL. The sources indicated that he provided several suggestions, drawing on examples from other coal mining operations across the nation. The sources said the report would be submitted within two days.
