YSR Congress Kadapa district general secretary Praveen Kumar Reddy said the party was planning a mass movement to exert pressure on the Telugu Desam government to set up the proposed steel plant in the district. Addressing media Reddy said even though the Telangana government had been far ahead of the Andhra Pradesh in setting up a steel plant post- bifurcation, there had been no sincere effort to force the centre honor the commitment made to successor state of Andhra Pradesh.
” Centre offered to set up a steal plant in public sector each in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at the time of passage of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act -2014. While Telanana state has appointed Geological Survey of India, Indian Bureau of Mines to survey the areas of Iron ore deposits in North Telangana districts, AP government has not done anything in this regard except chief minister Naidu and his son Lokesh Naidu repeatedly assuring the people about the setting up the steel plant. This amounts to gross injustice to the region,” Praveen Kumar Reddy said and added that the people won’t take it lying down.
Stating that the steel plant was the right of Rayalaseema people, Praveen Kumar Reddy said this was the only option left for Rayalaseema people to get decent employment in public sector. ” If the plant were to be set up about 10,000 educated youth are expected to get employment. Another lakh will get benefited indirectly. Still TDP government has not been able to take concrete steps in the direction of setting up of steel plant in Kadapa district,” he said. He is of the opinion that the setting up of steel plant would trigger series developmental activities in the region and the state such as railway, road, shipping.
Reddy alleged that people of the region could not tolerate continued denial of development for the region. ” It has been nearly 18 months since Naidu assumed office as chief minister, still there has been no effort by the state government that reassures the people about the steel plant,” he said and added that the party was planning an agitation by the students and youth of the district soon.