Kavitha launches Singareni Jagruthi, expands her turf to coal belt area | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Stepping up her activities, BRS MLC and Telangana Jagruthi founder Kalvakuntla Kavitha has launched ‘Singareni Jagruthi’ exclusively to expand the Jagruthi activities in coal belt areas. She announced that it will work with Telangana Boggugani Karmika Sangam (TGBGKS), the BRS-affiliated Singareni workers’ union. Incidentally, Kavitha is the honorary president of TGBKS, but the union has been inactive for the past one and a half years. After the formation of Singareni Jagruthi, Kavitha on Tuesday appointed coordinators for 11 Singareni areas in the coal belt, and all activities in these areas would be taken up under the flag of Singareni Jagruthi. Kavitha announced that she would constitute a women’s wing of Singareni Jagruthi soon.TGBKS was once a strong workers’ union in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and even a recognised union earlier. However, in the Dec 2023 elections, the union did not field any candidates due to confusion whether to contest the polls or not. Finally, almost all-important leaders of TGBKS joined Congress-affiliated trade union INTUC, which is now the recognised workers’ union of SCCL.The formation of Singareni Jagruthi has assumed significance as she was the honorary president of TGBKS and can revive and strengthen the trade union in Singareni areas. The SCCL workers are important for any political party, as about 40,000 workers and their families are spread across 11 assembly constituencies in the coal belt area. In the 2023 assembly elections, Congress had won 10 of the 11 assembly constituencies in the coal belt.“Singareni Jagruthi will take up various activities for the welfare of the workers and protect the rights of workers in the coming days. The Congress govt wants to ruin SCCL with its corruption. We will fight for the medical and education facilities of the Singareni workers’ families,” Kavitha said, while addressing the Telangana Jagruthi workers at her residence in Hyderabad on Tuesday.Kavitha, who announced the names of coordinators in the meeting, demanded that the Singareni management should restart the schools and introduce CBSE syllabus in them. The MLC also asked the govt to provide free corporate hospital treatment to the workers, apart from constructing new quarters for the workers, as many dwellings, which were constructed several decades ago, were in a dilapidated condition. She alleged that District Mineral Trust Fund (DMFT) funds were being diverted to other assembly constituencies by the ruling party from coal belt areas.“The BRS govt under KCR restarted dependent employment in SCCL, but the Congress govt wants to ruin the coal company with its corruption. The Jaipur thermal power plant cost was escalated by 5,000 crore,” Kavitha said.Singareni Jagruthi would fight for the welfare and rights of the workers by chalking out programmes, she added.