*Why was Rs. 10,300-cr Annamayya Hydro Project scrapped?*

Tirupati, June 26: YSRCP State Spokesperson Bhumana Karunakar Reddy questioned the coalition government over the abrupt cancellation of the proposed ₹10,300-crore pumped hydro storage project in Annamayya district, saying the government must disclose the real reasons behind withdrawing a project it had projected just 18 months ago as a major investment and employment generator.
Speaking to the media at his residence in Tirupati, Bhumana said the government had announced the project across Chintakuntapalem, Mantapampalle and Kommuru villages in Nandalur mandal, promising nearly 3,000 jobs and around 2,000 MW of environment-friendly power generation. He questioned why a project once promoted as a landmark initiative for Rayalaseema was now cancelled through a late-night Government Order citing environmental concerns and the sensitivity of the tiger zone. If such issues existed, he asked why they were not examined before the project was announced and approved.
Bhumana said announcing projects with fanfare and later cancelling them had become a pattern under the coalition government. He questioned whether projects were being abandoned because of poor planning, lack of clearances, commission-related pressures or other undisclosed reasons.
Referring to Minister Nara Lokesh’s “Speed of Doing Business” campaign, Bhumana said investment announcements were not translating into projects on the ground. He cited Tata Ingot and Websol among companies that had moved projects to other states and said the Visakhapatnam Partnership Summit appeared to have produced more publicity material than major investments actually taking shape.
He said the government must explain why project feasibility and environmental requirements were not assessed before making large-scale announcements. Projects such as Polavaram, Srisailam and Bhakra Nangal were developed through statutory clearances, he noted. Bhumana demanded that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Lokesh place all facts before the public and reveal the actual reasons behind cancelling the Annamayya pumped hydro storage project.