Deceptive stone-laying events of erstwhile regimes delayed steel plant project in Kadapa, says Naidu

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday took serious exception to the undue delay caused in the grounding of the much-awaited Rayalaseema Steel Plant project in Kadapa district, and blamed it on the deceptive foundation stone laying ceremonies of the “erstwhile regime.”

Speaking after formally launching the plant’s heavy section mill concrete flooring work at Sunnapurallapalli in Jammalamadugu constituency of Kadapa district, Mr. Naidu said the district’s dream project should have started 20 years ago, recalling the allocation of land for Brahmani Steels during the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy regime, which later came to a grinding halt.

Mr. Naidu also recalled that after he had laid the stone for the project in 2018, his successor and YSRCP president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy laid stone twice in 2019 and 2023 for the same project, with no visible outcome.

“The steel plant should have become functional by now, but for the obstacles created during the erstwhile regimes. There was no visible homework to get the project grounded, but only eyewash efforts to hoodwink the public,” he said.

Mr. Naidu asserted that the current coalition government resolved multiple regulatory bottlenecks and finalised permissions with JSW within two years, setting a firm target to begin commercial production in the next 24 months.

“The previous government’s three capitals policy severely dented the State’s image and left the public disillusioned. But we are going to develop Amaravati in a systematic manner into a world-class capital city,” he assured.

Turning his attention to the residents of Kadapa, the native district of Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister asked whether the previous government had done anything tangible for their welfare and for the region’s development.

“You have witnessed the plundering of natural resources in the name of Obulapuram mines in the past. And now you are witnessing the grounding of the dream project in front of your eyes. You should understand who stands by you and who deceives you in the name of sentiment,” the Chief Minister said.