Sanction Bayyaram steel plant to Telangana: KTR to Centre
Hyderabad: In a scathing attack on the BJP government at the Centre, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao demanded that the union government sanction Bayyaram steel plant to Telangana and stop discrimination towards the State.
As per the AP Reorganisation Act, Bayyaram steel plant was approved for Telangana. But the BJP government with vested interests was not sanctioning the plant just as other assurances made to the State under the Act were being denied, the Minister said in a letter to union Minister of Steel Ramchandra Prasad Singh on Sunday.
The Geological Survey of India, in its survey, identified 300 million metric tonnes of iron ores in Bayyaram. But the Centre was uttering blatant lies about the feasibility of Bayyaram citing quality of the ore, the Minister said.
“If non-availability of quality ores is the prime reason, the Centre should set up a plant at Bailadi in Chattisgarh that is just 180 kms from Bayyaram. To transport the ore to Bayyaram, a slurry pipeline or railway track could be laid and the same was suggested by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao to Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally,” Rama Rao reminded the union Minister.
“In 2016, NMDC had agreed to transport the ores from Chhattisgarh to Telangana. The State government had even agreed to share the cost for laying slurry pipeline or railway track. Yet, the Centre is not responding to the repeated pleas made by Telangana government,” Rama Rao said.
The Minister said in addition to these, Metallurgical Engineering Consultants had conducted a survey and recommended setting up of pelletisation plant or a scrap based plant after its study in Khammam and neighbouring areas.
“If setting up of integrated steel plant was not feasible, Centre could at least sanction pelletisation plant in Telangana, which would aid in providing employment to local youth,” Rama Rao appealed.
Interestingly, the Centre in association with State governments, is setting up special purpose vehicles for establishing steels plants in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, he pointed out.
The Central government had spent Rs.71,000 crore on expansion and development of steel plants in Rourkela, Burnapur, Durgapur, Bokaro and Salem but not a rupee was sanctioned to Bayyaram steel plant in Telangana, he said, adding: “This shows discrimination of BJP government towards Telangana.”
In the past, the then union Minister Birendra Singh while participating in the NMDC celebrations, had announced that Central government was prepared to set up pellatisation and scrap based plant at Kothagudem and Palvancha but there was no development in this regard till date, he stressed.
Taking serious objection to union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy’s statement on Bayyaram steel plant, he said while the Prime Minister was commenting against State formation, Kishan Reddy was finding fault with assurances made to Telangana in the AP Reorganisation Act. “Being an MP from Telangana, Kishan Reddy should strive to get projects and plants but unfortunately he has given up on his responsibilities,” the Minister said.
“At a time, when Central government organisations are recommending the setting up of Bayyaram plant, Kishan Reddy’s comments expose the Centre’s grudge against Telangana” Rama Rao said.
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