HYDERABAD: For the first time coming in defence of the southern states, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Tuesday trained his guns at the Centre, questioning as to why it was ignoring them when it comes to taking up big-ticket projects.
Speaking at the fifth anniversary of the TS-iPASS here, he queried: "When it comes to introducing bullet trains, why do you think of only Delhi and Mumbai? Why not Hyderabad? How come the Centre did not set up defence industrial corridor between Hyderabad and Bengaluru?"
He attributed political motives to the Centre for its step-motherly treatment of the southern states and Telangana. He said it was unfortunate that the Centre should encourage the non-performing states and penalise those who are doing well. If the states which perform well are rewarded, they would work with redoubled effort to take the country forward, he said.
With reference to location of the defence institutions too, the Telangana state has been subjected to discrimination, Rama Rao said. "Defence as we all know is a sector that attracts national and international investments, strategic investments from across the world. I have had the good fortune of meeting four defence ministers in the last five years. The reason defence-based labs were established in Hyderabad decades ago is because of its strategic positioning. I have requested each and every defence minister that Hyderabad and possibly Bengaluru constitute the best opportunities for the Centre to set up a defence industrial corridor," he said.
‘Made no sense’
Recollecting a conversation with a defence minister, Rama Rao said, "It is unfortunate that even in matters of nation importance geo-politics takes precedence. When I had asked for an industrial corridor between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, the minister refused and said that similar industrial area would be set up in Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region. He gave me some sort of reasoning, that honestly, did not make any sense at all."
Rama Rao, however, congratulated all the officers who were conferred with various Excellence Awards for best performance and implementation of TS-iPASS in the last five years. As of December 3, as many as 11,620 industrial enterprises with and investment of `1.73 lakh crores were given clearances and approvals under TS-iPASS. Rao also announced a funding of `305 crore for entrepreneurs from the SC and ST sections.
TSPCB, HMWS&SB honoured
HYDERABAD: KTR on Wednesday honoured the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) with an award for successful implementation of TS-iPASS and for developing an effective online application system. Senior Environmental Engineer Ramesh Gupta and M Praveen Kumar received the award.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) was also honoured for speedy sanctioning of water connections under TS-iPASS. HMWS&SB Managing Director M Dana Kishore received the award.