Telangana asks firms to provide steel at reasonable rate

The Telangana government today urged the managements of steel companies to supply steel at a "reasonable price" for its two-bedroom housing scheme for the poor. State Housing Minister A Indrakaran Reddy and IT Minister K T Rama Rao held a meeting with the representatives of steel companies here. The state government requires 1.45 lakh metric tonnes of steel for construction of one lakh houses in rural areas among the proposed 2.60 lakh double bedroom houses, 1.04 lakh metric tonnes of steel for 60,000 houses in urban areas and 2.78 lakh metric tonnes of steel for one lakh houses in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, a state government release said. The total steel requirement is 5.27 lakh metric tonnes, it said. Saying that cement companies are supplying a bag of cement at Rs 230 regardless of rate fluctuations, the ministers asked the steel companies to sell steel at a reduced price. The state government would be transparent and make the payments online without any delay to companies who sell the steel, the ministers said. The representatives told the government that they will discuss the issue with the managements of steel companies and get back, the release said.