Andhra gets Rs 6,000-cr NTPC project

The Union government has decided to set up the proposed Rs 6000-crore NTPC-BHEL power equipment manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh. An announcement to this effect was made by the AP government on Saturday.

The state government stated that the Centre had agreed to set up the project by NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Private Limited, a joint venture between public sector giants NTPC Limited and BHEL, at Mannavaram village in Chittoor district.

According to an official press release, the project would provide direct employment to 6,000 people and indirect employment to another 30,000. It will also pave the way for establishment of 400 ancillary units.

Terming it as a major achievement, state Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy thanked the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for deciding to locate the project in AP, though many other states, including Rajasthan and Maharashtra, were vying for it. “This is a major industrial project coming up in the state after the Vizag Steel Plant”, Reddy, who had been lobbying for the project, said.

The state cabinet had recently approved allotting 750 acres for setting up the greenfield unit. The land has been allotted at the rate of Rs 100 per acre. Reddy said that the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone for the project and also for the Tirupati international airport on September 6.