HYDERABAD: With its affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that it was not financially viable to set up steel plants in Bayyaram and Kadapa, drawing flak in the two Telugu-speaking States, the Central government seems to have begun damage control exercise. Union Steel Ministry on Thursday made it clear that the issue was not yet closed and it was still exploring the possibility of setting up of the two steel plants.
“Ministry of Steel is making sincere and relentless efforts to work out a feasible solution to make the project financially viable so as to bring about positive and sustainable development of not only Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but also the nation as a whole,” the ministry stated in a release. The ministry further recalled that a Task Force was constituted by it in this regard.
The Task Force was examining the feasibility of setting up steel plants in TS and AP, by any interested parties at Bayyaram and Kadapa, respectively. According to the ministry’s version, the Task Force had held a series of meetings since then. The meetings were attended by the representatives of the governments of Telangana and AP as well.
The last meeting of the Task Force, being sixth in the series of meetings, was held on June 12. The relevant data for preparation of the feasibility reports based on realistic assumptions is to be shared by the State governments with MECON (CPSE under Ministry of Steel) entrusted with the task, it said. Meanwhile AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who is scheduled to leave for Delhi to participate in the NITI Aayog Governing Council meeting on June 17, is likely to stage a protest at the national capital over the delay in setting up the Kadapa steel plant.
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