After remaining a non-starter for decades, the Kadapa steel plant is finally set to make headway with Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy scheduled to lay the foundation stone in Sunnapurallapalle and Pedda Nandaluru villages of Jammalamadugu constituency on Monday.
This comes almost a year after former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the same project in the same constituency, though in M. Kambaladinne village of Mylavaram mandal on December 27 last year. In fact, it was for the same project that former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had also laid the foundation stone in Vallur mandal in 2007.
The project, which is said to be a major employment generator to the backward Rayalaseema region, remained elusive for over a decade. Though two Chief Ministers had set the process in motion, it had not materialised, primarily for lack of continuity in governance. After YSR’s demise in 2009, the project was almost shelved. Though Mr. Chandrababu Naidu laid the stone at the fag end of his tenure, his defeat in the general elections that ensued hit the last nail on the project’s coffin.
Interestingly, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy was widely expected to launch the project at the site chosen by his father, but he chose a different place, though in the vicinity.
During his three-day visit, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay the stone for the project envisaged to be developed in 3295 acres and also address a public meeting at the same venue.
