In the race to set up steel plants in their states Telangana is far ahead of Andhra Pradesh. Section 93 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act-2014 provides for setting up of integrated steel plants in two successor states- Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the public sector. While Kadapa district has been identified in Andhra Pradesh, Bayyaram of Khammam district,Telangana is the site for setting up of these plants. In the case of Kadapa, there has been no progress since May 2014, when SAIL paid a visit to the district. Khammam, however, is prancing towards realization of the objective. Taking giant leap forward the Telangana government today appointed Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (TSMDC) as the nodal agency to take up exploration by calling private exploration agencies for all Iron Ore blocks falling in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and Nizamabad Districts, reserved for Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Limited for exploration and exploitation. While Andhra Pradesh government is steeped in the construction of capital Amaravati, Telangana is zooming with break neck speed to set up the public sector plant which provide employment for about 10,000 people, a boon for the youth in times of chronic job-drought in the Telugu States.
In the connection a crucial meeting with Steel Authority of India limited (SAIL) is slated on November 13, to carry forward the proposal to set up the integrated steel plant near Bayyaram, Khammam district.
Immediately after the enactment of the Reorganization Act-2014, center dispatched SAIL teams to both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. While the team visited Andhra Pradesh on May 24 and May 25, the team toured Telangana a day before. Later, the Steel Authority of India Limited requested the State Government Telangana for furnishing the details on availability of 200 Million Tons of specified grade Iron Ore in addition to other raw materials, subsidies and concessions. As per preliminary reports from Geological Survey of India, about 302 million tons of various grades of Iron Ore is available in the State.
On the part of the centre, a Task Force has been constituted at Ministry of Steel, New Delhi to review the establishment of Steel Plant at Khammam. In the Task Force meetings, Steel Authority of India Limited requested the State Government to come up with specific details on the availability of Iron ore. In this regard, the Government held a review meeting with Geological Survey of India, Indian Bureau of Mines, Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited, Singareni Collieries Company Limited, Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Limited and Department of Mines & Geology. After detail discussions, it was decided that the Geological Survey of India would arrange the details on the availability of Iron Ore blocks and Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation Limited would prepare a road map for systematic resource evaluation. Now, to fulfill this requirement, the Telangana government appointed the TSMDC as the nodal agency.
Unfortunately, nothing seems to have happened in the case of Kadapa steel plant after the SAIL team visit to Kadapa proposed plant site near Muddanur.
