Battle for Bayyaram mines hots up

The move to transfer Bayyaram iron ore to Visakha steel plant fuelled protests by pro-Telangana outfits, which cried foul over the decision and demanded that a separate steel plant be set up near the mines in Khammam district. TJAC demands steel plant near Khammam Hyderabad: TJAC chairman Prof. Kodandaram on Friday demanded the State government to shelve the move to provide Bayyaram iron ore to Vizag steel plant. Addressing a press conference, he asked the government to establish a separate steel plant near Khammam and use the iron ore locally. He also demanded the government to revive sponge iron factory at Palvancha, which was defunct for quite some time. If a separate steel plant was established near Khammam, it would not only help the government to reduce its investment costs but also provide ample employment opportunities to local talent, he explained. Kodandaram accused the government of allegedly shifting dolomite from Telangana to Vizag steel plant and now trying to shift Bayyaram iron ore resources in a similar manner. He said that people of Telangana region would not remain quite if the government plundered T resources.He sought to know why the government failed to evince any interest in initiating measures to ensure optimum use of local resources in the region, when T demand was at its high. Centre should step into resolve this issue, he said. On the two-day Sansad Yatra to be held on April 29 and 30 in Delhi, he said that TJAC sought cooperation from various parties like BJP, CPI and others. He said that he had spoken to CPI National secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy about the Sansad Yatra and sought his support to make T agitation a success. Earlier, TGOs Association president Srinivas Goud, Movement for Peace and Justice president Hamid Mohammed Khan and Kodandaram met CPI State Secretary Dr K Narayana at Makhdoom Bhavan and sought his cooperation for Sansad Yatra. CPI leaders such Chada Venkat Reddy, K Ramakrishna and Palla Venkat Reddy were present at the meeting. Later, Hamid Khan also demanded the government to use Bayyaram iron ore in Telangana region and help develop the region. The government could not show partiality to T region in terms of welfare and development, he said.

G.O. RILESA CONGRESS MP Hyderabad: The allotment of Bayyaram iron ore mines to RINL in Visakhapatnam has drawn flak from the ruling Congress party. C o n g r e s s MP from Warangal S Rajaiah on Friday demanded the government to withdraw the Government Order (GO) allocating iron ore to the company located in Coastal Andhra. Talking to newsmen in Warangal, he alleged that under the influence of Seemandhra capitalists, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy allocated iron mines to the company to benefit the Coastal Andhra economically. He called upon all people's representatives of Telangana to join hands in the fight against mining.

TRS threatensA to stoke stir Hyderabad: Strongly opposing the government's decision to allot Bayyaram iron ore mines to Rastriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) in Visakhapatnam, the TRS on Friday threatened to intensify the Telangana stir if the government did not accept its demand to cancel the iron ore allocations to RINL. Addressing the press here, party politburo member B Vinod alleged that it was another attempt to plunder the natural resources in Telangana for the development of the Coastal Andhra region. Demanding the government to explore the options for setting up a public sector steel plant at Bayyaram as it will help in developing the backward area and generating jobs for locals, he questioned them for allotting the mines to RINL when the people of Khammam and Warangal districts were pitching for a steel factory in the area. Stating that the conditions were also favourable for establishing the factory in Bayyaram, Vinod said that the decision to transport iron ore from Khammam in spite of the strong movement for separate statehood reflected the government's indifference in ensuring the development of Telangana region.

TDP cries ' Bayyaram Ukku Telangana Hakku' Hyderabad: With a slogan 'Bayyaram Ukku Telangana Hakku', the Telangana TDP Forum on Friday resolved to launch a protracted struggle against the allocation of Bayarram iron ore mines to Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) in Visakhapatnam. The Forum held a meeting at party head office and discussed about the party's plan of action, following rising opposition from political forces of Telangana against leasing out the mines to RINL. Forum chairman E Dayakara Rao told newsmen after the meeting that his party had decided to continue the struggle until the government withdraws the allocation of mines to the steel company. "The party will spread its agitation in every nook and corner of Telangana demanding the government to establish a steel factory in Khammam district instead of shifting iron ore reserves to other regions and stop the exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of Coastal Andhra," he said. Claiming that TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu accepted the Forum's request to set up a steel industry in the T region if the party came to power in 2014, he said that the party will also obstruct the exploration of an iron ore in the mining area. He said that before launching the struggle, a TDP delegation will meet Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday and submit a memorandum urging him to annul the mining permission. He also threatened to lay siege to the Chief Minister's camp office if the latter did not allow the delegation to meet him. Questioning TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao for maintaining silence on the issue, party MP N Nageshwara Rao alleged that the TRS leader received kickbacks from Obulapuram and Bayyaram mining contractors and skipped the Parliament session when the issue came for discussion. It was the TDP which fought tooth and nail against allotting Bayyaram mines to Rakshana Steels, which is allegedly owned by former Chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy's son �inlaw Brother Anil Kumar, and protected the mining resources from exploitation by Seemandhra capitalists. He also questioned the sincerity of Congress leaders, MLAs and MPs of Telangana for not opposing the government's decision to allocate the mines to a company located in Coastal Andhra.