Telangana govt to express interest in VSP via Singareni

The move comes in the wake of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s staunch opposition to privatisation of public sector units, with both Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao making statements against Centre’s attempt to hand over the VSP to private players.

Hyderabad: In a rare move, the Telangana government is reportedly planning to submit an Expression of Interest for the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant in Andhra Pradesh through the Singareni Collieries Company Limited. The VSP had recently issued a notification inviting Expressions of Interest, with the deadline for submission of EoIs being April 15.

The move comes in the wake of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s staunch opposition to privatisation of public sector units, with both Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao making statements against Centre’s attempt to hand over the VSP to private players. Minister Rama Rao had recently written to the Centre as well, voicing dissent against the privatisation of the steel plant.

---

According to reports, efforts are already on to prepare for the State’s Expression of Interest in the VSP, with SCCL officials handling the process. It is learned that a team of officials from Telangana might visit the VSP shortly. Apart from the SCCL, in which the Telangana government holds a 51 per cent stake, there is a possibility of the Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TSMDC) submitting an EoI for the steel plant, according to reports.

This is not the first time that the SCCL will be making an effort to take over another PSU, having acquired the Andhra Pradesh Heavy Machinery and Engineering Limited (APHMEL) in Kondapalli way back in 1994.

On the other hand, if the State government goes through with the attempt, it will be making a political statement as well, making clear its opposition to the privatisation of PSUs and the policies of the Modi government.