Revival of the Dependent Employment Scheme (DES) for the coal miners’ children of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has again come to the fore with the national trade unions taking up the path of agitation demanding the State government to fulfill the promise it made during the union elections in October last year.
During the 2012 elections, the Telangana Bhoggu Ghani Karmika sangham (TGBKS) had won with the slogan of revival of the DES. In 2017 elections too the TGBKS won following an assurance given by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to revive the scheme.
The TGBKS completed its three-month term as recognized trade union but, neither the union nor the State government was taking any measures for revival of the scheme. Several hundreds of ailing coal miners are running from pillar to post urging authorities to constitute the medical board and declare them as medically unfit and provide employment to their wards.
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The AITUC is spearheading the movement by staging dharnas and agitations in the entire Singareni coal belt region, asking the government to fulfill the promises made during electioneering. “The TRS government and TGBKS had asked miners to vote for them during Dasara and collect the Dependent Employment Scheme jobs as Diwali gift, but in vain”, alleged an AITUC leader.
The Chief Minister had promised to revive the DES by constituting the medical board, sanctioning ₹10 lakh interest-free loans to miners for construction of houses, regularisation of proxy miners, AC facilities in their quarters and may more. “The miners do not want AC facilities, but employment for their wards to eke out a living”, said AITUC senior leader Y. Gattaiah.
Even the TGBKS leaders were upset over the government not constituting regional official committees in Singareni in spite of emerging as the recognised trade union to resolve miners’ issues.
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“Though, we have been elected as recognised trade union, we have no say in the management as the State government had not constituted regional committees as per labour laws and giving scope to opposition, said a TGBKS leader.