Five Singareni Collieries Mines Awarded National Five Star Ratings

Five mines of the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) have been awarded the prestigious five-star rating in the Central government's annual best-mine selection for the 2024–25 assessment period. Announced on Friday in Hyderabad, the national recognition was conferred by the Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) under the Union coal ministry following a rigorous nationwide assessment. The winning mines are located across the Srirampur, Sattupalli, Bellampalli, and Ramagundam-3 areas.

From SCCL, the selected top performers include the R.K. Newtech and R.K.-6 mines in the Srirampur area, the J.V.R. OC-2 mine in the Sattupalli area, the Khairiguda open cast mine in the Bellampalli area, and the R.G. OC-1 mine in the Ramagundam-3 area.

The CCO conducted the nationwide evaluation among 382 applicants, selecting only 50 mines across the country for the five-star distinction. To achieve this rating, the five SCCL mines scored above 90 percent in the assessment, which was finalized after expert teams from the CCO conducted on-site field visits to verify the company's data.

The annual selection is based on performance across 50 parameters divided into seven distinct categories. These categories cover mine working practices, the use of extraction technology, financial health, worker welfare, community development in adjacent villages, safety and security measures for labour, and environmentally sustainable practices.

This year's achievement marks the highest number of five-star ratings in the history of SCCL, improving upon the four mines that secured the status last year. In addition to the five top-performing mines, 17 other Singareni mines received four-star ratings during this assessment cycle.

Deputy Chief Minister and energy minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka congratulated the SCCL management, mine officials, and workers for the achievement. He praised the company's sustained training, safety, and welfare programmes, highlighting its vital role in safely supplying coal to meet the state's energy needs. He also urged other mines to emulate these best practices to earn five-star ratings in future assessments.