ONGOLE: People of Prakasam district are eagerly awaiting the materialisation of Ramayapatnam port with the project gaining some momentum as the State government recently approved the proposal concerning its establishment. If all goes well and as per plan in the same pace, the district will witness major industrial development through the establishment of Ramayapatnam port.
The previous TDP government had approved the port proposal and also issued orders allotting 2,500 acres of land for the project. The then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu even laid the foundation stone for the port project at Salipeta village in Rapuru panchayat of Gudluru mandal. After that, the port project works came to a grinding halt with the release of 2019 election notification. Now, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government has laid emphasis on development of the port.
“The State government is still considering the land allocation plan of the previous TDP regime for Ramayapatnam port and it is also ready to allocate necessary land for the establishment of the port. But it is going to be allotted in a phased manner. May be the port will be set up under the Public Private Partnership mode with a major corporate company partnering the government,” a district official told TNIE on condition of anonymity.
Out of proposed 2,500 acres of land for the port project, the government has initially agreed to allot around 500 acres near Mondivaripalem - Avulavaripalem villages in Gudluru mandal in the first phase.
Recently a team of experts from Kakinada port surveyed the proposed land and submitted a report to the State government. As per the report, the 500 acres of identified land is suitable for the construction of port berths.
On the other hand, the government is also planning to attract major industries near the upcoming Ramayapatnam port and this may also cater to the needs of unemployed local youth. A South Korean team recently visited both Krishnapatnam and Ramayapatnam coastal areas to identify suitable place for setting up a major steel plant.
District Collector P Bhaskar, along with APIIC District Manager Narasimha Rao and other officials, met the South Korean team and discussed the establishment of the steel plant.
The district officials had offered about 1,000 acres of readily available land to the South Korean company and explained the other infrastructure facilities to be provided there for the upcoming industries.
With the help of land survey maps, the district authorities tried to explain all the benefits to be provided to coming industries near Ramayapatnam port. The South Korean team reportedly has asked for 1,500 - 2,000 acres and the district authorities have reportedly expressed their readiness to allot the required land to the company. The deal will be finalised if all goes well, the official added.