HYDERABAD: The two-day CII Partnership Summit concluded here Friday amidst chaos and confusing investment figures which kept ballooning by the hour. On day two of the summit, the conference halls were filled with security personnel and government officials. Delegates— both domestic and international— were few and far between.Many were out shopping or sightseeing.Some cabinet ministers did turn up but were seen complaining openly about the indifferent treatment from the organisers. The MoU signing ceremony— between the state government and 243 partner companies— appeared more like a prize distribution event. So disorganised was the session that a few MoU folders got swapped and some honchos went hunting to find the recipients of their folders.Government officials kept tossing up fresh investment figures from time to time.From 234 project proposals with an investment potential of Rs 6,12,835.11 crore and generation of 5,11,755 jobs in the morning, the figure went up to 243 companies with an aggregate investment of Rs 6,47,832.38 crore and jobs for 6,78,597.Interestingly, a majority of the 243 project proposals showcased with much fanfare included those for which MoUs had been signed over the last one year. These brought-forward projects included East Coast Energy’s proposed coal power plant, which hit a roadblock over environmental clearances; Birla Surya Ltd’s solar power project announced during the international Solar Power convention and SBQ Steel’s proposed plant in Nellore for which the State Investment Promotion Board gave clearance in Feb 2011.Other projects include IIFCO Kisan SEZ’s dairy plant in Nellore, which had been a no-starter for more than two years and NSL Andhra Power Ltd’s coalbased power plant in Machilipatnam announced last year.The day began with the chief minister’s plenary session, which got delayed by an hour. Delegates preferred to spend time in the exhibition hall instead of attending the following sessions. The event saw participants networking outside and congregating for lunch almost an hour early. The lunch organisers refused to begin service hoping that they would have no choice but to attend the sessions. There were complaints galore as participants had to run around the venue to identify sessions of their interest. “Could you tell me where the session on Sri Lanka is happening? I was invited to that session, but nobody is guiding me properly,” asked a senior IT company official in the exhibition hall.The event concluded without a valedictory, which usually is the norm. Overall, the poorly-organised summit seemed like a government-run show, with significant participation from public sector companies but very few delegates representing AP Inc.
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