Andhra govt states 'Reliance, Adani projects not shifted out of state'

Have big tickets investment promises made by Reliance Industries and Adani Group in Andhra Pradesh been called off? No, says the state government.

BJP alleges projects shifted out of Andhra Pradesh

It all started with this tweet of Sunil Deodhar, who is BJP's national secretary and in-charge of Andhra Pradesh state.

The tweet comes at a time when construction activity in the state has literally come to a standstill due to sand shortage and review of contracts granted by the predecessor Chandrababu Naidu led TDP government.

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YSRCP govt clarifies on Reliance projects in Andhra

The issue got an impetus on Wednesday when several news reports cited Reliance Industries had pulled out its investment near Tirupati. Reliance had signed a Rs 15,000 crore MoU in February 2018 with the then TDP government to manufacture mobile phones, television sets and set-top boxes among other electronic appliances in 150 acres at Renigunta. Reliance had planned to manufacture 10 million mobiles annually from the plant.

Clarifying that reports of exit by industry biggies Reliance and Adani are untrue, state industries and commerce minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy released a statement.

"There have been several media reports about moving out of Adani and Reliance Group from Andhra Pradesh which are totally unfounded and untrue. It is informed that the various processes for allotment of land in industries take place before industries move in. The endeavour is to allot land faster and issue approvals through single window system to ensure best in class ease of doing business," he said.

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Explaining the status of Reliance, Reddy said, "For the land allotted to Reliance of 136 acres in Tirupati, fifteen writ petitions were filed by farmers due to which the land cannot be utilised for the purpose which is to be given, so alternate land has been worked out by the  AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC). The government is committed to providing the land with clear title in the state with due diligence unlike previous years, thereby correcting previous government mistakes. The government representatives would be meeting the Reliance Group to sort out the remaining land and related issues."

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On Adani projects in Andhra

Meanwhile, Adani Group too had announced its single largest investment to date worth Rs 70,000 crore in Andhra Pradesh for the first-of-its-kind 100 percent renewable energy powered project in the world earlier this year in January. Adani had signed an MoU with the AP government in the presence of the then CM Chandrababu Naidu for 20 years.

Throwing light on the grapevine of the group's exit from the state, the industry minister said, "As far as Adani Group is concerned, proposals have been processed by the IT department keeping in view the importance of the project and necessary action is being taken to process the case. The government is in touch with the representatives of Adani Group on day to day basis and this case is in an advanced stage."

"Therefore, it is requested not to speculate on these items and carry out speculative activities as government is committed to creating a good investment climate for all investors," Reddy alerted.

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