Hyderabad: Reiterating that the State government was committed to setting up of a steel plant in Bayyaram, IT Minister KT Ramarao has said all-out efforts were being made following the assurance given by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on the steel plant issue.
A high-level review meeting was held at CM’s Camp office along with Energy Minister G Jagdeesh Reddy here on Sunday. Officials from Mines Department and Singareni Collieries company participated in the meeting where several decisions were taken.
Speaking on the occasion, KTR said the State government was appointing a committee with the principal secretaries of Mines Department, TS MDC and Singareni. Experienced Consultant Company in steel plants establishment and other departments’ officials will assist the committee, he informed. The committee will give detailed information like land availability, water availability and coal availability and power needed for the steel plant establishment, he stated. The committee will submit its report within one month and the government will step ahead on establishment of steel plant following the report.
KTR and Jagdeesh Reddy reminded that the Chief Minister had given an assurance in the Assembly on establishment of steel plant at Bayyaram. The Centre has the responsibility of establishment of steel plant as per State Reorganization Act, but the NDA government spent four years without taking a decision on it, he pointed out. He said the State government met the Centre several times and addressed several letters but the Centre was escaping from the issue saying that there was no quality iron forgetting the fact that the same Centre established a steel plant at Visakhapatnam decades ago though there was no iron mines and coal but the Vizag Steel Plant was running successfully.
KTR said the State government has already informed the Centre that it was ready to extend all help in establishing steel plant at Bayyaram and as part of it the state government informed the centre that it was ready to bear 50 percent expenditure of train route from Biladilla of Orissa to transport the iron ore from there to Bayyaram.
He said that the state government was sincerely moving ahead on it as it will provide huge employment to Telangana youth. All the way Bayyaram was the suitable place to establish steel plant and the only thing was the centre has to take a favorable decision, KTR said. The state government was still mounting pressure on the centre in this regard, he said and made it clear that the Telangana state government will move ahead whether the centre comes forward or not on it. The Ministers said that the committee will guide the state government in establishment of steel plant at Bayyaram irrespective of centre’s decision. (NSS)
