Morning Pulse: Revanth warns his power officials as KTR takes the coal fight to Godavarikhani

Telangana went to bed on Wednesday arguing about coal and woke up worrying about power. Within a few hours of each other, the Chief Minister scolded his own top energy officials over outages, and the main opposition leader stood in the coal belt and accused the government of running Singareni into the ground. Both men were talking about the same chain: coal from the mines, power from the plants, and water for crops that farmers say are drying in the fields.

First, the loop we left open last night. At the BRS's Singareni Karmika Garjana in Godavarikhani, working president KT Rama Rao alleged a Rs 10,000-crore scam at Singareni Collieries, Telangana Today (IANS) and ANI reported. He alleged that about 40 lakh tonnes of coal had gone missing, that tenders and contracts for diesel, detonators and overburden removal were rigged, and, as ANI reported, that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's brother-in-law, Sudhini Srujan Reddy, controls the company. He said Singareni's management had told him the state owes it about Rs 60,000 crore. These are his allegations; none of the reports we read verified them.

KTR demanded a CBI inquiry or one by a sitting judge, an audit of the company's books, and the prompt release of workers' profit share and bonuses. He warned, Telangana Today reported, that the BRS would lay siege to the homes of Congress MLAs and ministers if the profit share is not paid. He also accused the Congress of plotting to privatise the company. None of the reports we read carried a reply from the government, the Chief Minister's office, Srujan Reddy or Singareni's management.

KTR aimed at the Centre too. ANI reported that he asked why Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy left the inquiry to the state when the Centre holds 49 per cent of Singareni. For background: in June, Kishan Reddy wrote to the Chief Minister about the same 40 lakh tonnes, valued at about Rs 1,600 crore, and asked the state to investigate urgently, Business Standard (PTI) reported then. That letter put the state's dues to Singareni at over Rs 51,500 crore, lower than the figure KTR quoted.

Hours earlier in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy had turned on his own officials. At an El Nino review at the MCR HRD Institute, he warned that the Energy Department's Special Chief Secretary and the Genco chairman could be suspended over repeated power cuts, Siasat and Andhra Jyothy reported. He asked why the Yadadri thermal plant was not running at full capacity despite coal linkages from the Naini and Mahanadi blocks, and told officials to stop giving a new excuse every day, Andhra Jyothy said.

He ordered round-the-clock power to standing crops until harvest, called the next 20 days crucial, and asked every department for an El Nino plan running until next June, Deccan Chronicle reported. He compared El Nino to Covid. Mandal-level monitoring officers, gram sabhas between Dasara and Deepavali on saving water and power, fodder for cattle and treated sewage water for construction in Greater Hyderabad were also on the list. Deccan Chronicle said he called an informal Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat for Thursday.

The voter roll moves to the street today. The special enrolment camps open at every polling station on Thursday and Friday, for people missing from the draft roll and for first-time voters, using Form 6, Telangana Today reported. Deccan Chronicle reported that civil-society groups object to asking voters who were already enrolled to sign a declaration meant for new voters. The Telangana High Court is due to hear the SIR petition again today. By the time we published, we had seen no report confirming whether the Supreme Court has listed Asaduddin Owaisi's petition with the other SIR cases.

At Uppal, the West Indies won the fourth T20 by 24 runs, so the series is level at 2-2, Outlook and CricketNews reported. Shai Hope made an unbeaten 102 off 50 balls in a total of 247 for 3, and Keemo Paul took five wickets as India were bowled out for 223. Sanju Samson made 56, and Hyderabad's Tilak Varma 43. The decider is in Bengaluru on 17 October, CricketNews reported. We saw no new report on the HCA ticket case overnight.