Andhra Pradesh plans to set up SAIL plant

Hyderabad: The AP government has in principle decided to set up a Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) plant in place of Brahmani steels in Kadapa district. Earlier, SAIL had proposed to acquire Brahmani Industries Ltd (Brahmani Steel), a subsidiary of Obulapuram Mining Company, owned by former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy. However, the proposal has been pending due to the state bifurcation process.

Now, the Naidu government has taken an in principle decision to give a green signal to SAIL to set up its steel plant. State social welfare minister R. Kishore Babu made a passing remark about this during a media conference on Wednesday.

Sources in the mining department said that following bifurcation, setting up a SAIL steel plant would crucial in AP as it would provide direct employment to over 10,000 people and create indirect employment for over 1 lakh people.

Construction of a steel plant in the public sector through SAIL or Rashtriya Ispat Nigam was one of the predominant demands during the anti-bifurcation mov-ement. The plant wo-uld also give rise to establishment of several ancillary units that would provide indirect employment.

“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with ministers and senior officials, will be in Delhi on June 26 and 27, and will seek the approval of the Centre for setting up SAIL’s steel plant in place of Brahmani Plant,” a senior official said.