With successive governments making only empty promises on the construction of the Machilipatnam Port, the people of Krishna district are hoping for justice after the division of Andhra.
Though erstwhile chief minister late YS Rajasekhara Reddy and present CM N Kiran Kumar Reddy time and again vowed to fulfil the Congress government’s long-standing promise, no initiative has been taken as yet in that direction.
Now that division of the state is imminent, the fate of the Coastal districts will depend on the development of agriculture sector, industries and ports.
Keeping in view the growing economic development of the state, YS Rajasekhara Reddy promised the construction of the Machilipatnam Port six years ago and had even laid the foundation-stone for it.
Kiran Reddy, during his Rachchabanda in May 2012, released GO 11 for land acquisition and construction of the Machilipatnam Port.
Though about 15 months have elapsed since then. There is no progress on land acquisition for construction of the port n 5,300 acres of land.
The project works were awarded to the Navayuga Constructions Company Limited, Hyderabad.
Machilipatnam Port Sadhana Samithi convener Kosta Murali said that the Samithi had launched an agitation for 505 days till May, 2012 demanding that the government speed up the port works but in vain.
He said that the bifurcation of state would be an eye opener to the people of Coastal districts and that the leaders would focus on development of the district rather than think on the other regions of the state.
He said that the people of Andhra region should concentrate on developing their vast coastline and try to make use of the natural resources by construction of ports and setting up industrial corridors.
Machilipatnam Port Sadhana Samithi president N Venkata Prasad said Machilipatnam Port could be developed as a major port to handle cargo as the existing Visakhapatnam Port was not able to cope up with heavy cargo.
He said that iron ore available in Karnataka could be exported from the Machilipatnam Port instead of Goa Port and the thermal power plants to be set up in Coastal districts in the future could import coal from other countries through the Machilipatnam Port.
TDP leader and native of Machilipatnam Md Shajahan said the British, French and Dutch people had used the Machilipatnam Port from the 16th Century onwards for loading and unloading of goods.
He said that the development of Machilipatnam and Krishna district were closely linked to the construction of the port and added that he was hopeful that the Seemandhra leaders would accord top priority to construction of the port after division of the state.