YSRCP govt grabbed lands near Budameru; pushed AP into Rs 10.5L Cr debt trap: CM Naidu

Amaravati: Blaming previous YSRCP government for land grabs, Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu today said had the Budameru works been completed the state would not have faced flooding.

Naidu told media persons that the previous government grabbed the lands near Budameru and misused it to the maximum extent possible.

He said the government is paying the price for their follies. Chief Minister said that boats were released when Krishna River was receiving 11.43 cusecs of water and it took almost 10 days to return to normalcy. "Had the previous rulers been in power, it would have taken six months or more to restore normalcy," he added.

He said the funds released for Polavaram and Rs 990 crore from the Panchayat Raj department were diverted and expenditures were not shown in the accounts by the previous government.

"Now we need to clear the dues amounting to Rs 1650 crore for the farmers. We also need to pay a whopping Rs 10.5 lakh crore loans," the Chief Minister said.

Chandrababu Naidu said he was happy that the relief paid to the flood-hit was received with tremendous response. Every house is being extended financial assistance of Rs 25,000 while those who are staying on the first floor are being paid Rs 10,000 each, Naidu noted.

He also gave the details of various sections and the amount being paid to every flood victim, including insurance claims to two-wheeler, three- and four-wheeler owners.

Will ensure Vizag steel plant operations streamlined: Naidu

Amid reports that Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) is struggling to tide over a financial crisis, Naidu said he would try his best to ensure that the state-owned steel plant is not privatised. He also cautioned the employees and trade unions of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant to implement proper management policies and bring it out of the woods.

Noting that it was he who got the RINL’s debt restructured and paved way for smooth functioning during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, Naidu blamed the previous YSR Congress government for not taking the plant’s health seriously.

“The union and employees ( of RINL) have a responsibility to ensure smooth flow of operations and turn the loss-making project into a profitable one. While steel plants in the private sector are making profits, the management should think why a government undertaking has to face such a situation,” he said.

“Though it is a sentiment for the state (about the survival of RINL) it cannot be a reason for a bailout . We will try to streamline it totally and ensure that it is not privatised." Naidu said he recently held a meeting with Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and HD Kumaraswamy on the issue, and the Centre may release some funds for the plant soon to ensure smooth operations.

RINL has accumulated a debt of about Rs 18,000 crore and currently the plant is operating only with one blast furnace out of total three, a steel plant official said. He however said once the raw material supply situation improves, one more furnace may be operationalised by this month end.