Industries and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao has asked the Central Government to stop its ‘discriminatory approach’ towards Telangana and take steps to set up a steel plant at Bayyaram at the earliest.
The Minister expressed concern that though high quality iron ore was available at Bayyaram, the lack of commitment of the Centre had delayed the setting up of the proposed steel plant. “Setting up of a steel plant at Bayyaram was a promise made to Telangana in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, but the Centre had not initiated any steps in this direction even after seven-and-a-half years,” he said.
Letter to Union Steel Minister
In a letter addressed to Union Steel Minister Ramachandra Prasad Singh, Mr. Rama Rao said that the Centre had set aside the proposed steel factory in spite of the commitment given by the Central Government on the floor of Parliament. This was on the lines of several promises made to Telangana as part of bifurcation, he said, charging the Centre with deliberately denying the State its due.
Though the report of the Geological Survey of India confirmed that there was 300 million metric tonne iron ore reserve in Bayyaram, the Centre was blatantly lying in claiming that there was no quality ore in the area. Even if the Centre’s claims were assumed as true, the State had requested allocation of mines at Bailadilla, about 180 km away, that could be transported through a slurry pipeline or railway line.
KCR met Modi
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao personally met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and submitted a representation in this regard, but there was no action from the Centre so far in spite of the State assuring that it would share the costs incurred for transport of ore from Bailadilla.
The Minister said MECON inspected Khammam and surrounding areas and confirmed the prospects of setting up pelletisation plant in the area and other Central Government agencies like NMDC and Singareni Collieries Company Limited were positive on setting up of the steel plant but the Centre remained indifferent.
At the same time, the Centre had set up special purpose vehicles for setting up of steel plants in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and allocated huge funds for modernisation of existing plants in Rourkela and other places. This exposed the vindictive attitude of the BJP government against Telangana.
He alleged that the Central Government was trying to dilute the Steel Authority of India Limited and charged the Centre with “depending in factories manufacturing lies rather than genuine industrial units”.
He launched a broadside against Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy claiming that the Minister who was elected from Telangana was trying to escape from his responsibilities instead of displaying his commitment for the development of the State.
