VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was on cloud nine with the successful conduct of International Fleet Review (IFR) at Visakhapatnam.
Speaking to mediapersons in Vijayawada on Monday, he said it was the second prestigious international event to be held successfully in Visakhapatnam, which now has become Naval Capital of the country.
“Top level delegates from 50 countries have participated in the prestigious event, where the President and Prime Minister had the rare honour of getting saluted by Navies of different countries. It is once in a lifetime opportunity and I am proud that Visakhapatnam has proved itself as host par excellence beyond expectations,” he said.
Lavishing praise on the port city, which he said had stolen the hearts of the visiting dignitaries with its clean and beautiful environs, Chandrababu Naidu said people of Visakhapatnam proved themselves as best hosts and with their discipline and sense of hospitality had attracted the attention world over.
“No one seeing the city during IFR would have believed that it has suffered severe damage in wake of cyclone Hudhud. It is totally a different city with wide roads, well laid pavements and greenery everywhere,” he said.
Chief Minister said that apart from the Indian Navy, state government had investment much in terms of monetary and manpower to make the event a grand success. “We have spent through different departments Rs 133.32 crore for the beautification and better facilities in the city. Visakhapatnam has the large number of LED street lights in South India,” he said.
Naidu said the response to Visakhapatnam during IFR and Prime Minister Narendra ModiÂ’s emphasis on blue economy and knowledge based economy had proved his stance on port based development in the state is right one.
“For long, I have been saying that development of the state is only possible by taking advantage of the long coast we have. Prime Minister's words have only reinforced it. In accordance with country’s Look East policy, Andhra Pradesh is making efforts to turn itself into a logistic hub for Southeast Asia,” he said.