Steel plants in Telugu states not a closed chapter: centre

Union Steel Minister Birendra Singh says the exercise of setting up steel plants in both Telugu states is still going on and is not a closed chapter. He told Telugu Desam MP C.M. Ramesh over the phone that setting up a steel plant in Kadapa in AP and in Bayyaram in Telangana is an ongoing process and requested him to withdraw his indefinite hunger strike. Mr Ramesh has been on a hunger strike for the past eight days.TD MPs on Wednesday met Mr Singh to demand that the steel plants be established in both Telugu states as ass-ured in the AP Reorganisation Act. Speaking to the media after meeting the MPs, the minister said that once the taskforce submits its report, further action will be taken.

The minister said the AP government also should extend its cooperation in the steel plant issue. He said the steel ministry has asked the AP government about the amount of private land available and said that it should ensure there will be no obstructions for setting up the plant. He said the TD MPs were satisfied after their meeting with him.

However, the TD MPs, including Mr K. Narayana told the media that the reply given by Mr Singh was not satisfactory. They said that though Mr Ramesh and MLC Btech Ravi are on an indefinite hunger strike, the central government is still delaying the steel plant issue.They said the state government had provided all the information asked for relating to the steel plant, but the Union minister told them that of the nine questions relating to the steel plant posed by the central government, the Andhra Pradesh government has sent replies to only seven questions.