Telangana: Adani Group’s 12 projects under radar as govt rejects donation

Hyderabad: With the Telangana government deciding not to go forward with the Rs 100 crore donation pledged by the Adani Group for the upcoming Young India Skills University, it has sparked a discussion about the extent of the conglomerate’s involvement in the state and its business interests.

In a press conference on Monday, November 25, the Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy confirmed that his government will not be receiving the donation from the Adani Group at the moment.

“I and my cabinet colleagues do not want to be involved in unnecessary discussions and situations that would dent the image of the state government or my own. That is why, on behalf of the state government, our official Jayesh Ranjan wrote a letter (to Adanis),” he had told reporters.

Adani and Telangana

According to reports, Adani has 12 projects (ongoing, completed and on hold) in the state of Telangana. These projects, range from drone manufacturing units to the construction of national highways to major electrical transmission lines, to name a few.

While 11 projects have been approved by the ruling Congress and the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) governments, one has not been approved by either of them.

While interacting with reporters, chief minister Revanth Reddy alleged that the previous BRS government had “close ties” with the Adani Group. He presented photos of the party working president and then IT minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) meeting Gautam Adani and a list of projects approved by the BRS government.

The projects

Adani currently has 12 projects in Telangana, with one proposal has been submitted and awaiting government approval.

Projects approved by BRS

Adani Elbit Systems Defence Unit (Mamidipally) – The drone manufacturing unit produces drones for the Indian Army and Navy and also has export contracts with Israeli companies. It was approved by the BRS government and is currently operational.
Missile Shell Manufacturing Unit (Mamidipally) – The project manufactures missile shells and is expected to be operational by 2025. It was approved by the BRS government and is currently under construction.
Microsoft Data Centre (Ellikatta) – The first phase has been completed. For the second phase, land has been purchased and construction will start in due course of time. It was approved by the BRS government.
Logistics Park and Dry Port (Ramannapeta) – Currently, 375 acres of land have been acquired for the project’s development. This was approved by the BRS government.
750 kV Transmission Line Project – 750kV of transmission line connecting Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. The project is completed. It was approved by the BRS government.
National Highway Projects – Adani proposed to build three national highways out of which the work for one, from Khammam to Suryapet NH, has been completed and work is ongoing for the remaining two. The project was approved by the BRS government.

Projects approved by Congress

Data Centre Complex (Mucherla) – Proposal for land acquisition has been submitted. The project was okayed by the Congress government.
Pumped Storage Project (5000 MW) – MoU was signed during this year’s WEF DAVOS meet. Proposals have been submitted to the Congress government, which approved the project, for land allotment and other approvals.
Cement Grinding Unit (6 Million MT) at Ramannapeta – MoU was signed during this year’s WEF DAVOS meet for developing pumped storage projects. A detailed proposal for setting up 6 million MT grinding unit has been submitted to the Congress government. Public hearing held on 23/10/2024.
Cement Plant (9 Million MT) at Kodangal – An expression of interest has been submitted to the government for establishing a new cement plant with a capacity of 9 million MT in the Kodangal area. The project has been approved by the Congress government.