KADAPA: The stage is set for the development of basic infrastructure in the Jammalamadugu region of Kadapa district as it is getting a steel plant. A 9 km railway line, 12 km four-lane road and 7.5 km two-lane road will be constructed as part of infrastructure development, besides a dedicated 27 km power line and two TMCs of water from Mylavaram reservoir.
According to sources, the 9.4 km long railway line between Yerraguntla and Proddatur will be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 324.5 crore. The four-lane road between Muddanur and Jammalamadugu will be constructed at a cost of Rs 147.2 crore and the two-lane road with Rs 42.7 crore.
The power line is estimated to cost Rs 76.42 crore while a water sump with 2,000-kilo litre capacity is expected to be ready soon. Likewise, works on the compound wall taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 3.7 crore are under progress. Office building construction is at the roof stage.
The steel plant in Kadapa will be set up by Jindal Steels in two phases with a total investment of Rs 8,800 crore and is expected to be operational by 2029. The State government has allotted 3,148.69 acres to Jindal Steels for the steel plant at a price of Rs 1.6 lakh per acre.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to lay the foundation stone for the steel plant either on January 27 or 30. Once operational, the steel plant is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people.
In fact, Jagan laid the foundation stone for AP High-Grade Steels (YSR Steels) at Sunnapurallapalle-Peddadandluru on December 26, 2019, and subsequent steps were taken for creating basic infrastructure.
However, following the Covid pandemic and the delay in the selection of partners for the steel plant, the construction of the steel plant got delayed. It even created doubts about the future of the project.
Laying rest to such doubts and speculation, the State Investment Promotion Board headed by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, gave the green signal to JSW on December 12, 2022, which came forward to invest Rs 8,800 crore for constructing the steel plant in two phases. In the first phase, Rs 3,300 crore will be invested and the production of steel will be one million tonnes per year and in the second phase the production will be scaled up to three million tonnes per year.
During his recent visit to Kadapa, the Chief Minister addressing a public meeting at Kamalapuram said the new year will be a beginning of a new era for Kadapa district as works of Kadapa steel plant will be launched.