Mining in 23 underground and 19 open cast coal mines belonging to the state-run Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) in northern Telangana districts came to a grinding halt on Thursday, with nearly 75,000 miners launching a 72-hour-long strike in protest against the central government’s decision to privatise four coal blocks in the region.
The three-day strike is being spearheaded by Telangana Boggu Gani Karmika Sangham (TBGKS), a recognised trade union of the SCCL, affiliated to the ruling Telangana Rasthra Samithi. All the other major unions like Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Hindustan Mazdoor Sangh (HMS) also joined the strike.
