The Centre has clarified that it is prepared to take up the second phase of the 4,000 MW thermal power project being set up by the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) at Ramagundam if the State government signs a power purchase agreement with the NTPC.

The Union Power Ministry said the first phase of 1,600 MW had been commissioned but the work on the second phase is not being taken up at present as there is no requirement of power in the State till 2020. The Union Ministry gave this clarification at a high level meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi last month.

The high level meeting was convened to review the status of implementation of the provisions under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. Responding to the concern expressed by the State government over the delays in setting up the railway coach factory at Kazipet, the Railway Ministry has made it clear that it is not being taken up at present as there was lack of demand.

Rail connectivity

In respect of rapid rail connectivity from Amaravati to Hyderabad and other important cities of Telangana, the Union Ministry said it had received request from the Andhra Pradesh government seeking sharing of cost of conversion of single line ( 56.53 km new broad gauge single line Errupalem-Nambur via Amaravati) to double line.

The Telangana government has expressed concern that of the 35 highways recommended by it, only 13 had been notified as national highways. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, however, explained that some policy decisions were under consideration for the national highways in this regard.

The AP government, according to the minutes of the meeting, had requested the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to issue an advisory to prepare detailed project report on expansion of Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway (NH-65) from four lane to six lane as the traffic threshold had been attained. It had also requested for expedition of Hyderabad-Amaravati greenfield expressway.

The meeting discussed the provision made in the Reorganisation Act for setting up an integrated steel plant in Khammam district and YSR district of Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry of Steel informed the participants that the Telangana government was yet to suggest an alternate site for the steel plant as requested by the Ministry.

The Andhra Pradesh government, on its part, had not submitted the G2 survey report required for finalisation of report by MECON. The AP government informed that submission of the report would take time and the Ministry had accordingly asked it to submit the report as soon as possible.