RTI reveals States failed to respond to Centre on steel factories

Hyderabad: The governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have failed to respond to several rejoinders of the Centre on providing land, tax incentives for setting up steel factories in Bayyaram and Kadapa.

According to an RTI filed by I Ravi Kumar, the Centre, on behalf of Steel Ministry, said it had written to the Telangana government 12 times and 13 times to the AP government on providing several incentives for setting up steel factory from 2017, but there was no response till today.

The RTI said so far, the Centre organised nine meetings, the task force formed with Mining, Steel, Finance ministries as well as SAIL, RINL, MECON, NMDC The Andhra and Telangana governments examined many aspects and finally met on December 18, 2019 and took several key decisions. A representative of the Telangana government, who participated in the last meeting, said the site for constructing the plant was being considered at Mahbubnagar, which is close to Karnataka. He also said they were trying to link iron ore from Bailadilla or Karnataka; 2 MTPA of iron ore would be available in Khammam district and surrounding areas of Karnataka. As elections were going on, they said, they will meet to finalise the integrated steel plant site, but no information has been given as of today.

Kumar said on one hand, the Centre is asking the State government for a formal consultation for a feasibility report, and on the other many Central ministers and BJP leaders are making statements that setting up a still plant in Bayyaram is neither profitable nor convenient. But in every election, all parties in both States are using it as a slogan. If a steel plant is constructed in the public sector it would help the economic development of the respective States without burdening the State governments.