Mood upbeat for steel plant in Bayyaram

Mahbubabad: The long standing dream of the locals for a major industry in Bayyaram is raising hopes of fulfillment with the recent announcement made by minister for information technology and urban development K. Taraka Rama Rao. During the current Assembly session, he made it clear that the state government is determined towards completing this project.

Under the AP Reorganisation Act, the Union government had promised Telangana state that a steel plant would be established by Steel Authority of India Limited by exploiting the iron ore mines at Bayyaram.

Iron ore deposits in abundance can be found at the hillock on the outskirts of Bayyaram village. Geology survey of India and the Singareni Collieries Company conducted a survey with a task force committee on the iron ore deposits found in the area. Early reports suggested the iron found in the place was of poor quality with less than 60 per cent ferrous found in the ore.

However, minister KTR has said the state government is making all efforts to clear the deficit and make the area fit for a steel plant. Iron ore mined from Chhattisgarh could be brought and mixed with the ore here. The GSI has previously said it would submit its final report by mid-2017.

The iron ore deposits present here were also transported to Vishakapatnam for some time until the people opposed it and with the rise of Telangana agitation, the transport completely stopped since 2010. The locals are still skeptical about the promise of KTR and say that even now, the steel factory may be shifted to Medak.

“The iron ore deposits present here were of very good quality. That is why they were transported to Vishakapatnam until we opposed it. But the present government is trying to sabotage the proposal of the factory by giving report that the quality is low. Setting up the factory here would change the scenario of Mahbubabad district immensely,” said V. Ramesh, a resident of Bayyaram.

There are no industries in the newly formed Mahbubabad district. If the steel plant is established, not only would it provide employment to the locals, it would also bring development to the area which remained backward with mostly tribal population. A township for the employees and families of the workers will be constructed. Also, the good highway connectivity and railway connectivity are in favour of setting up the plant here.