Privatising Vizag Steel Plant will not arise as Centre approved revival package: Andhra CM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that the issue of privatising the Vizag Steel Plant will no longer arise as the Centre has approved financial support of Rs 11,440 crore. Addressing a press conference in Undavalli, Naidu stated that everyone must work hard and utilise taxpayers' funds efficiently to revive the steel plant.

"With the revival package in place, the problem of steel plant privatisation will no longer exist. This is taxpayers' money, and we need to use it responsibly," he said.

The CM urged the Centre to immediately appoint a professional management team and bring in a capable CEO to run the plant effectively.


He also mentioned that the state government would collaborate with the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) to procure iron ore and other raw materials.

Promising to transform VSP into a strong organisation, Naidu highlighted the plant's valuable 20,000-acre land bank, which is unmatched by any other steel plant in India.

"We must revive VSP and demonstrate that the Centre's decision was the right one. I appeal to the workers to come forward and support this effort," he added.

The chief minister pointed out that the TDP-led NDA government is fulfilling its election promises, citing the Rs 15,000 crore allocation for Amaravati's greenfield capital and the Rs 12,157 crore sanctioned for the Polavaram Project as examples.

He further noted that the NDA government had provided land for the Visakhapatnam railway zone and attracted Rs 4 lakh crore in investments within seven months.

Naidu also emphasised the government's commitment to the North Andhra region, highlighting upcoming projects such as the Google data centre, the ArcelorMittal steel plant, and others, which will merge Anakapalli with the port city of Vizag.

The CM mentioned that a 14 MT ArcelorMittal steel plant near Anakapalli, involving an investment of Rs 1.7 lakh crore, is in progress. He stated that raw materials would be transported via slurry pipelines from Nakkapalli in the first phase.

According to Naidu, the Centre has agreed to supply 7 MT of iron ore, with the deal expected to be formalised soon. Work on the project is also set to begin shortly.

Naidu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling the NDA's promises and extending cooperation in various ways.