Cancellation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Ramagundam coal belt area to lay foundation stone for the first phase of 1600 MW (2 X 800 MW) Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (TSTPP) taken up by the NTPC Ramagundam and the the Ramagundam Fertilizers and Chemicals limited (RFCL) had disappointed the officials of both organisations.
Both these were prestigious projects and attained national importance. The Telangana Super Thermal Power Project (TSTPP) of 4,000 MW was proposed as part of the AP State Reorganization Act, 2014, to meet the power requirement of Telangana. Similarly, the Union government had proposed to revive the Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI) as RFCL to meet the growing demand for fertilizers in the country.
For the past six months, the NTPC and RFCL have been eagerly waiting for official nod from the Prime Minister’s Office for the arrival of the Prime Minister to lay foundation stones for the projects. A week ago, officials of the NTPC and RFCL received a message from PMO about the arrival of the Prime Minister on August 7. Accordingly, authorities had made arrangements for the construction of a helipad and reviewed security arrangements.
Initially, it was proposed that the PM would lay foundation stone for both TSTPP and RFCL at NTPC Ramagundam only and address the gathering.
Following the cancellation of the visit of PM, NTPC authorities decided to construct the plaque on its premises and similarly the RFCL in its own township. The Prime Minister would unveil the plaques by using the remote from Gajwel in Medak district and it would be telecasted live at the NTPC and RFCL.
NTPC officials said that the Prime Minister’s visit to the Ramagundam was cancelled because of his busy schedule. Arriving in the afternoon, he would visit Gajwel and later address BJP leaders in Hyderabad before proceeding to New Delhi. Hence, the Ramagundam visit was cancelled. The State government should have taken interest in getting the Prime Minister to Ramagundam as they were prestigious projects of the country, the officials felt.
