All options weighed to turnaround VSP: CM Naidu

New Delhi: The State Government is making all-out efforts to revive the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant without going in for privatisation. The issue is a complicated one due to various factors, but one thing is certain that it will not be privatised. The question is how to revive it and bring a turnaround. The Centre and state are seriously examining various options that are available, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said here on Monday.

At a press conference, Naidu said that RINL was different compared to other steel plants as the sentimental value of this project is very high. He said a merger with SAIL was one option but then it may not be possible since SAIL and the Government of India have their own reservations. Another option was to give some land to NMDC and take some money from them but that cannot be a permanent solution. Getting raw materials is another major problem.

The Chief Minister said that Kamballapalli and Tambalapalli in the Rayalaseema region have iron ores under SAIL.

One possibility could be to try and get assured ore from there. He said all these issues were brought to the notice of Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy. The Centre would soon try to find a solution to the complex issue, he said.

Naidu said he also discussed the issue of financial package for the steel plant with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman when he met her late on Tuesday evening.

The Chief Minister said that during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, he apprised him of the financial situation in the state. He said he also discussed about the Polavaram project and informed him that project works, including the construction of a new diaphragm wall, would begin in November. Similarly, he informed the PM about the various works being taken up for the development of the capital city Amaravati. Naidu said he thanked the PM for the hand-holding the Centre was giving and explained his vision 2047 proposals.

Replying to a question, he said the state government was launching the scheme of giving three gas cylinders free from Diwali. He urged the Centre to restart works on national highways which were stopped during the YSRCP regime and assured to clear all roadblocks like land acquisition.

Naidu further said the Center assured him that the Western and Eastern Vijayawada bypass ongoing works worth Rs 55,000 crore would be completed in the next 30 months. Another assurance was to connect the Bhogapuram airport with Vizag beach road and construction of the Metro project by 2027.