The decades-old dream of the people of Kadapa will become a reality in three weeks’ time, with the JSW Rayalaseema Steel Plant Limited set to begin its construction at Sunnapurallapalli in Jammalamadugu constituency.

The integrated steel plant is coming up with a huge financial outlay of ₹4,500 crore in the first phase to provide 1,000 jobs. In the second phase, ₹11,850 crore will be pumped in to generate 1,500 more jobs, taking the total employment potential to 2,500 and the collective production capacity to 2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The JSW A.P. Steel Plant was also renamed as JSW Rayalaseema Steel Plant, in tune with the aspirations of the region.

Infrastructure ready

The State has reportedly provided all the infrastructural needs, including double circuit transmission line of 400 kV from Jammalamadugu substation for a power requirement of 268 MW, assured water supply of 2 tmc ft from Gandikota reservoir, a four-lane road infrastructure for 12 km from NH 67 up to the site and a 12-km railway line up to the plant from Muddanur railway station (between Proddatur and Yerraguntla stations).

The land has been transferred from the erstwhile YSR Steel Corporation to JSW Rayalaseema Steel. “The environmental clearance has also been issued to the plant,” stated Kadapa district Collector Sridhar Cherukuri.

“The dream-come-true project is certainly a boon to the backward Kadapa district and the local youth are set to benefit from it,” said TDP zonal coordinator and former polit bureau member R. Srinivasa Reddy. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to visit Kadapa when the construction of the plant begins in three to four weeks.

Chequered history

The steel plant witnessed four foundation stone laying ceremonies during successive political regimes since 2007, thus standing out as a classic case of making no headway due to political one-upmanship.

In 2018, the then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu laid the stone in Kambaladinne, while his successor Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy laid stones twice in December 2019, and once again in February 2023 at Sunnapurallapalli.

In fact, there was a prolonged lull for over a decade after former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid the first stone for Brahmani Steels at Ambavaram in 2007.