MANCHERIAL/ KARIMNAGAR: The Singareni colliery workers and their families are likely to influence the prospects of contesting candidates in at least six Assembly constituencies — Asifabad, Bellampalli, Mancherial, Chennur, Ramagundam and Manthani — in the coal belt areas in Old Adilabad and Karimnagar districts.
Nearly 30,000 workers are employed in the mines in Old Adilabad and Karimnagar and each constituency has about 20,000-30,000 votes of workers and their families, including retired workers. Jobs for dependants, restoration of jobs of dismissed workers, providing interest free housing loan up to Rs 10 lakh, providing air conditioners and issue of pattas for the lands on which the people had constructed houses in Singareni are some of the important issues that concern the workers.
Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS) affiliated to the TRS is a recognised trade union and it has won the elections twice in a row. Nizamabad MP, K. Kavitha, is the honorary president of the TBGKS. In the 2014 elections, the TBGKS played a crucial role in motivating the workers in favour of the TRS and electing the TRS candidates from the constituencies in the coal belt areas.
There are five Singareni divisions, namely, Bellampalli, Srirampur , Mandamarri and Ramagundam I, II and III in the old Adilabad and Karimnagar districts. Thousands of labourers and employees work in the coal mines in these Singareni divisions and each worker’s family has three to four votes. The polling percent is also high in the coal belt areas, unlike in other areas.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) which has a considerable presence and hold among the workers in the coal belt area is now with the Congress in the grand alliance.
The Congress has two trade unions, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) and the TDP has TNTUC. Both the parties are in the grand alliance. But surprisingly, the AITUC supported by the Telugu Nadu Trade Union Council (TNTUC) and the INTUC was defeated in the Singareni trade union elections held in 2017 but AITUC won against TBGKS in the Mandamarri and Bhoopalapalli divisions.
The Telangana Jana Samiti also has its presence in the coal belt areas. Its president, Prof Kodandaram, is a native of Nennel mandal in Mancherial district. He has a special attachment to the coal belt areas and has had association with the Singareni workers for a long time.
