VIJAYAWADA: In order to speed up various works and programmes from various ministries in the Central government, all Parliament members from the state met various ministers in New Delhi on Friday. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu took the lead part and held discussions with 14 ministers. The MPs have informed the Union ministers that various works and approvals have been pending at various levels and urged clearances at the earliest.
Responding to the MPs' strong demand for setting up railway zone with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu informed that the matter was at an advanced stage of consideration with the government. The railway minister, who is also representing the State in the Rajya Sabha, informed the members that he would personally look into the matter and take it up with the Prime Minister.
Plea to hand over INS Viraat
The members met Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and asked him to handover INS Viraat, which was recently decommissioned from the services. The MPs informed the minister that the state government was very much interested to develop the ship into an international tourist attraction. The defence minister reportedly assured the members that the MoD will handover INS Virat to Andhra Pradesh.
The team also met Panchayat Raj, Legal, Power, Textiles and other ministers and stressed the need to speed up various clearances. After a day-long whirlwind meetings, Venkaiah Naidu, speaking to the media, said that pending issues like increasing the assembly constituencies, release of funds for the Polavaram project, clearances to the 4,000 MW thermal power plant at Pudimadaka in Visakhapatnam, setting up MSME Technical Centre in Visakhapatnam, allotment of coal mines to AP Power Generation Company, legal sanctity to the special package announced to the state have been discussed.
“The NDA government has been giving top priority to develop Andhra Pradesh. Almost Rs. 3 lakh crore worth of package has already been announced and several other projects would be sanctioned to the state. With periodical reviews on the issues, there would be swift move in the development programmes,” Venkaiah Naidu said.