Scrap Theft Incidents Increasing in Singareni
There are incidents of attacks on security personnel also
KARIMNAGAR: Theft incidents are increasing in the coal mines of Singareni Collieries Company, mainly in the Ramagundam area of Peddapalli district.
Besides stocks of spare parts of big machinery, copper cables and other iron materials are being targeted by thieves. There are incidents of attacks on security personnel also.
Recently, three theft incidents took place in a span of four days. SCCL sources said burglars stole 300 metre length of copper cable from a yard in the opencast-2 coal mine in Ramagundam-III area on August 12. They disconnected power supply to CCTV cameras fixed in yard premises to hide their identity.
On August 15, two thefts took place. While one occurred at the crushers inside the quarry in the afternoon, the other was during the night shift. About 20 metres of cable was stolen.
In such a big theft incident in recent years, about 250 metres of copper cable (worth more than `1 crore) of the dragline was stolen. This was the first and biggest crane deployed to remove overburden (OB) by SCCL.
Developed with foreign technology by spending `100 crore in 1986, the dragline was deployed in Singareni’s first opencast coal mine OCP-1, Ramagundam-III and it was named ‘Pruthvi Banjan’.
Having worked for 1.70 lakh hours in three and half decades, this played a vital role in the production by removing the over burden (OB) accumulated on coal stocks. As the lifespan of the crane was completed, the dragline was taken out of the project in 2022.
On March 7, burglars attacked a private security person when he resisted their attempt to steal scrap from OCP-1 coal mine. Thieves also attacked three security personnel at the coal handling point (CHP), Ramagundam-I.
Despite enhancing security and arranging CCTV cameras, the incidents of scrap thefts continue.
Notably, to put an end to thefts, the company engaged about 1300 private security personnel besides 900 of SCCL’s permanent security personnel. About 3500 CCTV cameras have been fixed in different places.
Thieves are targeting OCP, underground coal mines, CHPs, base workshops and stores where spare parts of machines and iron scrap are available.
Big machinery used in coal production and other purposes usually break down after sometime. After replacing new spare parts, the old ones would be shifted to sheds, workshops and stores.
“Getting information about the location of scrap through employees working in the security wing, thieves are stealing the iron material,” said a senior employee with the SCCL security wing.
Besides iron material, three core armoured copper cables that used to operate big machines in OCPs have also been stolen. Before committing the theft, burglars are doing recce, he said.
Private security personnel are revealing information about the availability of scrap to outsiders, source said.
