Dozens of engineering graduates and other students from Proddatur, the largest city in Rayalaeema region, vowed to fight for the realization of the proposed steel plant near Vemaguntapalli in Kadapa district. The students and youth have formed in to ” Steel Plant Sadhana Samiti” to mobilize people for a fight for the revival of the steel plant for the development of the region. An engineering graduate GV Praveen Kumar Reddy is elected convener of the committee V Mallikarjuna Reddy. Rayalaseema gazetted officicers association’s , J Subrahmanyam, noted poet and Kadapa Zilla Rachayitala Sangham president, NF Khalandar, Federation of Rayalaseema Associations extended support to the committee’s fight for the setting up of the plant. An office to coordinate the activities also has been set up in Proddatur.
All the members of the SPSS and supporters addressed a press conference and vowed to carry forward the fight till the Steel plant, which is a constitutionally backed assurance as incorporated in Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act-2014. Convener Praveen Kumar Reddy said an action plan would be announced in a week or two. All speakers felt that the attitude of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was not instilling confidence among the people of Andhra Pradesh.
An integrated steel plant” Brahmani Steel Plant” was proposed to be set up there in private sector.About 6000 ac of non-agricultural waste land was acquired and foundation was laid on June 11, 2007 by the then chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy. As the area is a neglected zone, no major industry was contemplated that would have absorbed the cheap labor available in the perennially drought hit area of Kadapa district, Rayalaseema. The idea of steel plant generated hopes among the youth and people alike . Later the sudden death of Rajasekha Reddy and complaints against promoter of the plant, and subsequent scrapping of the plant by the successor government disappointed the youth and people of the region. But, the AP Reorganization Act-2014, which assured to set up a steel plant in public sector, has rekindled the hopes. But there has been no initiative on the ground allegedly for political reasons. The area is the stronghold of Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy and the proposed site falls in Kadapa Lok Sabha constituency, a pocket borough of Jagan’s family. So, chief minister Naidu , a political rival of YSR family, is not interested in the plant.
But, unemployed youth, people, who see bright future in the plant want the implementation of the provisions of AP Reorganization Act. Since the district is far away from the erstwhile capital Hyderabad, it’s global reputation had never had any positive impact on the economy of the district, which is basically farm based and rain-fed.
In the past 18 months of Telugu Desam Party regime, there has been no attempt to ground the plant. In the last week’s Partnership Summit, held at Vizag, the government did not make any attempt to rope in a global steel player to set up the plant on the land already acquired for the plant. 400 MoUs , worth Rs 5 lakh crore investment, were signed in the Partnership Summit, but not one talked of the steel plant. And share of the region in the MoUs signed is insignificant. The youth of the region, having felt continuance of same old apathy, are disappointed as they see no future for them if the plant is not set up.
None of the political parties are raising the issue. Because, their worry is that if they do, the people in the other regions would brand them regional chauvinists. So, the small group of youth, headed by an engineering graduate G Pravin Kumar Reddy, is forming a committee to mobilize the students, youth and the people to fight for the realization of steel plant. As beginning of the movement, on January 15, the Sankranti Day, they released a big balloon with a very catchy slogan , Kadapa Vukku and Rayalaseema Hakku ( Kadapda Steel – Rayalaseema Right). They want to run the movement beyond the party-politics. They urged the people of Rayalaseema, rest of the state and all those who are fighting for the rights of backward regions to extend their support.
This is going to be the second people’s movement for a steel plant in the state, the first being the ” Visakha Vukku, Andhrula Hakku” movement by students in 1980s which ended only after Centre agreed to set up a steel plant at Vizag. It was this steel plant that transformed the economy of Vizag and north coastal Andhra. Rayalaseema youth foresee such an economic transformation in their areas as well if the steel plant is set up nearVemaguntapalli.
