HYDERABAD: BJP MP K Laxman on Tuesday dared Industries Minister KT Rama Rao to declare whether the State government was against privatisation, and if yes, then explain why all the contracts were being given to private companies.
Condemning Rama Rao for yet again accusing the Centre of not establishing the Bayyaram Steel Plant, Laxman questioned the lack of efforts by the State government to establish the plant, and steps taken to attract investors to establish it.
Rubbishing the State government’s decision to express interest in the bid for Vizag Steel Plant (VSP) through Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL), Laxman asked what KCR planned to do about Nizam Sugar Factory, Allwyn, HMT, Azam Jahi Mills, Netha Spinning Mills, Praga Tools, Rayon and many other PSUs which have been shut down in Telangana.
Addressing the media at BJP party office in Nampally, Laxman questioned how Jindal was able to establish the steel plant in Kadapa in 2.5 acres by sourcing iron ore from Obulapuram and Ballari, and why the State government couldn’t convince the company to establish a plant in Telangana.
“As per the AP Reorganisation Act, the Centre was to examine the feasibility of establishing a steel plant at Bayyaram. The committee formed to do so, which included officials from Telangana, found that the iron ore there was of an inferior quality. Even the Geological Survey of India, in its report, explained that only 5 million tonnes of iron ore was available in Bayyaram, and to establish a steel plant at least 200 million tonnes availability was a prerequisite,” Laxman said.
On Rama Rao’s comments linking a Japanese company with Adani Group with regard to exporting iron ore from Bailadila, Laxman said that Bailadila iron ore mines were under the National Minerals Development Corporation for decades, and that anybody could procure the mineral from there and export it.He wondered what was stopping the State government from exploiting the uranium deposits in Nalgonda, which he said, was a more effective energy source than coal.
Lanka Dinakar, BJP leader from Andhra Pradesh, wondered how the State government could bid for VSP through SCCL, while alleging that the Centre was going to privatise SCCL. He said that nobody was interested in the steel plant, but everybody was trying to usurp thousands of acres of land around the plant.
He praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reconstructing and bringing to operation Ramagundam Fertiliser Company Ltd, which he said, was going to solve the problem of fertiliser availability of the southern States.