Rajya Sabha member Y.S. Chowdary on Saturday asserted that the Andhra Pradesh government had furnished all the information pertaining to the steel plant proposed in Kadapa district and a statement to the contrary by Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh was a part of the Central government’s “delaying tactics.”
‘Latest report soon’
He said the State government would submit the latest consolidated report on the availability of iron ore and other details asked by the Ministry of Steel in a couple days, and questioned whether the Centre would give a commitment in five or six days that it would clear the project in a particular time-frame. Addressing the media along with Machilipatnam MP Konakalla Narayana and MLC B. Arjunudu here, Mr. Chowdary said two-and-a-half years had elapsed since the constitution of the task force by the Ministry, and it was also given an extension. Except raising queries on various technical matters, the Central government had so far done nothing on the project, he alleged.
Iron ore availability
The State government had reported that up to 270 tonnes of iron ore was available, and it would be sufficient to run the steel plant for more than 30 years.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had even offered to extend support for the establishment of the steel plant, but the Central government had only been dragging its feet, he charged.
Mr. Singh was sympathetic to the demand for the Kadapa steel plant, but he had no power to sanction the same, the TDP leader said.
Mr. Chowdary had said that it was because of the TDP’s exit from the ruling coalition that the steel plant was put on the back-burner, he claimed.
Similar was the fate of the demand for Special Category Status, railway zone with headquarters in Visakhapatnam, petrochemical complex in Kakinada and other projects, he said. “It has been time and again proved that there is no difference between the party (BJP) and the government like in China. This is dangerous for democracy,” he observed.
