Big industries are not shying away from State: AP Minister

There is not an iota of truth in the rumours doing the rounds that big industry is shying away from Andhra Pradesh, repelled by the policies of the new Government, State Industries Minister M Goutham Reddy has clarified.

He gave the clarification here on Thursday at a media conference about Adani and Reliance group dropping their investment plans in the State. "In the first place, Adani group has not withdrawn its plans to invest in a data park near Visakhapatnam but we have asked the group to come up with a clear investment plan so as to allocate land in a phased manner. We do not believe, as the previous Telugu Desam Government did, in generating unnecessary hype. But we are friendly to the industry and we want the project to take shape," he clarified and added that negotiations with the Adani group were in an advanced stage.

He also said, the previous TDP Government had allocated 136 acres of land near Tirupati to the Reliance group without undertaking an exercise in due diligence and many of the lands were caught up in litigation and therefore the Government had written to the group that alternatively lands would be allocated elsewhere for the project in the same area.

The negotiations were still on and the project had not been shelved, "but still rumours and mischievous reports are beings spread to discredit the present Government. Many of the issues we owe to the legacy of the previous Government. Only five months ago we assumed charge and we are sorting things out one by one."

Incentives

In response to another question, he admitted that incentives promised to the IT units in Visakhapatnam and elsewhere were pending, and "in fact, we are saddled with as much as ₹4,000 crores of arrears left to us by the previous Government. It will take sometime to clear them. "

He also said the industrial policy of the previous Government would last up to 2020 and the new industrial policy of YSR Congress Government would be announced in the Budget session next year. "We are holding extensive consultations with all stake-holders and we will announce a comprehensive policy and implement it in earnest, unlike the previous Government," he added.