Centre urged to reduce State’s share in Visakhapatnam-Chennai corridor to 10%
VIJAYAWADA: State Industries Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy on Thursday called on Union Commerce and Textile Minister Piyush Goyal and urged the latter to declare one of the three electrical equipment zones to be set up in the country under the upcoming Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, at Mannavaram of Chittoor district.
He demanded that the Centre set up a mega textile park at Kopparthi in Kadapa, besides reducing the State’s share in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai corridor from 20 to 10 per cent.Goutham Reddy felt that the PLI scheme will give an impetus to domestic manufacturing capability for power equipment and help bolster the export potential.
On the first day of his two-day visit to Delhi, Goutham Reddy said, “The Centre has plans to set up seven textile parks in the country. We have proposed the Centre to set up one at Kopparthi.” Recalling that Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) allocated 750 acres of land to NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Ltd (NBPPL) plant at Mannavaram about a decade ago, he said the plant has been lying idle since 2015 as the joint venture did not receive enough orders for manufacturing the power equipment.
“However, as the Ministry of Power is planning to declare heavy power equipment manufacturing zones under the PLI scheme, we are requesting you (the Centre) to consider Mannavaram in AP as one of the specified zones as the location is already designated for the purpose. Also, the required infrastructure are in place,’’ Goutham Reddy said.
He explained that the Mannavaram site is strategically located near the electronics and manufacturing cluster in Satyavedu, and is also close to the Krishnapatnam Port. “Both are within 100 km range and would add value to the planned heavy power equipment manufacturing operations as resources’ mobilisation and logistics will be easier,” he observed.
Responding positively, the Union minister said he will consider the options to convert the land at Mannavaram into Power Equipment Manufacturing zone, and also convene a meeting with the representatives of NTPC and BHEL to discuss the issue. He also complimented the State government for the successful conduct of Vanijya Utsav-2021.