This was the second time Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for a steel plant in Kadapa.
Published Feb 16, 2023 | 12:05 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 16, 2023 | 1:44 PM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy lays the foundation stone of a steel plant in the Kadapa district on Wednesday, 15 February, 2023. (Supplied)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy yet again laid the foundation stone to establish a steel plant in Kadapa, his home district, on Wednesday, 15 February.
Interestingly this is the fourth time in the last two decades that a foundation stone was laid for this steel plant.
Jagan himself laid the foundation stone for the steel plant in December 2019, while another bhoomi puja was conducted on Wednesday.
As chief minister, Jagan’s father YS Rajasekhara Reddy laid the first foundation for Brahmani Steels at the Ambavaram village of the Jammalamadugu mandal in the Kadapa district.
In 2018, the then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid foundation for Rayalaseema Steels at the Kambaladinne village under Mylavaram mandal.
After coming to power on 23 December, 2019, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation for a steel plant at the Sunnapurallapalle village in the Jammalamadugu mandal of the Kadapa district.
అచ్చంగా వైసీపీ అధికారిక పేజీలోని మూడు పోస్టులు ఇవి. మొదటిది 2019లో కడప స్టీల్ ప్లాంటుకు శంకుస్థాపన అన్న పోస్ట్. రెండో పోస్ట్ లో శరవేగంగా జరుగుతున్న స్టీల్ ప్లాంట్ పనులు అన్నారు. అలాంటప్పుడు మళ్ళీ ఈరోజు భూమి పూజ ఏంటి? ఇలా ఉంటాయి వైసీపీ ఫేక్ ప్రచారాలు. నమ్మారో మోసపోతారు. pic.twitter.com/d4FJeBAG0L
— Telugu Desam Party (@JaiTDP) February 15, 2023
Jagan performed bhoomi puja and laid the foundation stone for the construction of the ₹8,800 crore Kadapa Steel Plant (KSP) in Kadapa on Wednesday.
Along with JSW Group Chairman Sajjan Jindal, the chief minister broke the customary coconut and lit the traditional lamp to mark the auspiciousness of the ceremonies. He also planted neem and peepal saplings.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister thanked Sajjan Jindal for coming forward to establish the steel plant and also giving confidence for the future development of the area, which he said he was neglected for several years after the death of his father.
Expressing hope that the plant would gradually change the face of the district with more industries like green hydrogen and solar-pump manufacturing units, he said 75 percent of the jobs in the industry would go to the locals as per the law enacted by the state.
He said the area, despite its shortcomings, would march ahead with the JSW Group, which had so far invested ₹1.7 lakh crore the world over, coming forward to set up the steel plant.
Describing the Kadapa Steel Plant (KSP) as a long-cherished dream of the people in the district, Jagan said the places around the steel plant would generally develop with ancillary units.
He expressed hope that the area would develop like Visakhapatnam — or even Vijayanagar in Karnataka.
The Andhra Pradesh government has allotted ₹700 crore to provide infrastructure like roads, water, and power supply to the steel plant, and this would also result in the development of surrounding areas, he said.
The first phase of the KSP — involving an investment of ₹3,300 crore and having an annual production capacity of 10 lakh metric tons — is expected to be commissioned in 24-30 months.
In the second phase, the production capacity of the plant is expected to be enhanced by 20 lakh metric tons with an additional investment of ₹5,500 crore.
The plant, coming up on 3,500 acres of leased land, is aimed to provide direct and indirect employment to 25,000 persons.
Sajjan Jindal, who also spoke on the occasion, said that the KSP would be the “greenest” steel plant in the world and fuel growth in the area.
He also said that Jagan was just following the path of his father and working for the development of the state with commitment.
