SAIL Proposes to Replace Gali's Brahmani Steels

The Public sector company, Steel Authority of India Ltd., (SAIL) has come forward to set up an integrated steel project in place of Brahmani Steels promoted by former Karnataka minister and mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy, who is currently in jail facing CBI charges for illegal mining activities.

During the tenure of late YS Rajasekhar Reddy as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Bhramani Steels had proposed to develop a 2.5-million tonne, Rs 4,430-crore steel plant at Kadapa, the native district of YSR. In 2007, it was allotted iron ore mines and 14,700 acres for the project. However, at a later date, the state government served show-cause notices on Brahmani for inordinate delays in executing the project.

SAIL chairman and managing director Chandra Shekher Verma told over phone from Russia, where he is accompanying steel minister Beni Prasad Verma and a team comprising chiefs of state-owned steel firms, that "SAIL had conveyed its interest to the principal secretary of government of AP. The size of plant and investment would depend upon feasibility study." T S Appa Rao, principal secretary, industries and commerce also confirmed the same saying "SAIL has approached us to set up an integrated steel project in place of Brahmani Steels. They have sought land and iron ore mines to take up the project. We are examining the proposal."