Centre ignoring state's pleas for new project sanctions, says KTR

Hyderabad: IT and industries minister K.T. Rama Rao came down heavily on the BJP-led government at the Centre on Friday, saying it is meting out grave injustice to the state since its formation in 2014.

Addressing a conference, 'T-Next: Reimagining and catalyzing growth for a sustainable tomorrow', organised by the Telangana chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, the minister said several requests from the state government for sanction of new projects remained held up in Delhi.

These included proposals on a dry port, the IT Investment Region (ITIR), the Kazipet rail coach factory, a textile mega cluster, a branch of the National Textile Research Institute and Export Promotion Council, an Indian Institute of Handlooms, technology institutes, a defence incubator, a centre of excellence, a vaccine testing centre, a medical devices park, a plastics park and a leather park. All such requests have all fallen on deaf ears, he said.

The minister said the Centre was making a lot of money from Telangana state via collection of various taxes but giving nothing in return.

Rama Rao urged the BJP government to place economics above politics in the interest of the country. "Political considerations should not come in the way of sanctioning strategic projects. I would like to tell the central government that talks about Team India to make sure that they deliver on this promise and help states like Telangana to grow with the support of the industry," he said.

The minister also took a dig at the Centre's Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, saying mere slogans will not work unless concrete steps are taken to achieve the desired goals. No company would like to invest under the Make in India programme unless the import duties on machinery are relaxed," he said.

"We sought strengthening of the existing railway network, but there has been no response. While construction of eight railway lines and survey of three more lines are pending, the proposals from the state for sanction of four new railway lines have been ignored. While the Centre has sanctioned a bullet train project for Gujarat, it has not allocated even a single corridor to the southern states. Is Telangana not eligible for bullet train project," Rama Rao asked.

"Rather than supporting the Hyderabad Pharma City, the Centre brought the new bulk drugs parks scheme which led to unnecessary competition between major states, delaying establishment of pharma industries here," he alleged.