Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan lays foundation of Ramayapatnam port

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for the construction of Ramayapatnam Port in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.

The port project is being executed by the Ramayapatnam Port Development Corporation Limited, under the AP Maritime Board, a state government organization, with initial outlay of Rs 3736 crore.

“There have been only six ports in AP since the independence time. Our government is bringing four more ports including Ramayapatnam to boost economic activity, employment opportunities and overall development of the state,” Reddy said, addressing a meeting.

Interestingly, the foundation of the port was laid by former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in February 2019, two months before the general elections.

“Naidu did nothing in his five-year rule and betrayed people by laying the foundation stone without any project report or land acquisition. Our government has procured 850 acres of land for constructing the port,” Reddy said.

The port project taken up with Rs 3,736 crore will have four berths with a handling capacity of 25 million tonnes, while six more berths can be added in future with Rs 200 crore for each, for handling over 50 million tonnes. CM stated that with the construction of four ports 100 million tonnes of cargo handling will add to the existing capacity of 228 million tonnes.

The Chief Minister thanked the people in Mondivaripalem, Avulavaripalem, Karlapalem, Ravuru, Chevuru, and Salipeta villages for handing over their lands for the port. He later distributed R&R pattas to the displaced families.

Reddy sanctioned development works in the Kandukur constituency, including Rs 25 crore for a bypass road for Kandukur at a stretch of 6.2 km, and Rs 27 crore for the construction of a left bank canal for the Rallapadu Project.

"The YSRCP government is also setting up nine new fishing harbours," the CM said.