HYDERABAD: Amid talk of ‘early polls,’ the State government has stepped up efforts to exert pressure on the Centre to fulfil promises made during bifurcation of the erstwhile United State, particularly setting up of an integrated steel plant at Bayyaram and Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) in Hyderabad.
Against the backdrop of opposition cornering the ruling TRS over Bayyaram issue, Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi and requested the latter to take measures to set up steel plant at Bayyaram, besides revisiting ITIR. During the meeting, KTR submitted two separate memoranda to the Prime Minister in this regard.
KTR’s meeting with the PM comes exactly 12 days after Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s confabulations with Modi in Delhi on issues relating to the State.“Khammam district is suited for location of an integrated steel plant. Best-grade iron ore is located in close proximity in Chhattisgarh and low-grade iron ore available in the state can also be utilised for making steel. Further, coal deposits are available in Singareni Collieries. Sufficient government land, water, power, trained workforce is also available for the steel plant,” he explained to Modi in the memorandum.
Discusses pending issues
The Industries Minister said that the integrated steel plant at Bayyaram and ITIR in Hyderabad approved by the UPA govt at the time of state bifurcation is yet to be fulfilled by the Centre. He assured the centre that the state govt would support it in making the project viable.