VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that 268 acres of house plots will be distributed to 50,000 poor people in the R-5 zone of the Amaravati capital region on May 26.
The Chief Minister made this announcement while addressing a public meetinging after launching the construction work of Rs 5,156 crore Bandar port in Machilipatnam on Monday. Taking a dig at TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan said that the YSRC government has accorded equal priority to the welfare of people and development in the State.
“Naidu and his gang of thieves had been creating obstacles the same way as the demons hampered the conduct of yagnas by the divine,’’ Jagan stated. Launching an artillery of allegations against the Opposition, the Chief Minister said that Naidu tried to stop the distribution of Amaravati lands by creating legal hurdles, citing that the demography would be disturbed.
“He mocked the allotment process saying that the sites could be best used for constructing the graves of poor people,” alleged Jagan Mohan Reddy and added that Naidu has been treating the weaker sections of people as untouchables.
“Though Naidu failed to allot even one cent of the land to the poor during his rule, he vehemently opposed the distribution of house sites. He wanted the people to always remain poor and work for the rich without settling down in the capital region,” Jagan retorted.
‘Machilipatnam will be developed like port cities’
The Chief Minister alleged that Naidu also opposed construction of the Machilipatnam port as he wanted the people to buy lands in the Amaravati region at exorbitant rates. “During the TDP rule, he notified 33,000 acres in 22 villages as he did not wish to develop Machilipatnam. He wanted the people to flock Amaravati,” he said at the public meet.
Construction works launched
Speaking on the Bandar port, the Chief Minister said that once the construction works were completed, Machilipatnam would be developed on par with other port cities such as Mumbai and Chennai. He went on to say that the port would be connected to the National Highway-216 and Gudivada -Machilipatnam railway line, which will enhance accessibility to the port and improve its connectivity.
The port, which is being constructed with an initial cargo capacity of 35 million tonnes, is scheduled to be completed in two years.
Machilipatnam would soon become the hub of trade and commerce and industrial growth as Telangana and Chhattisgarh would make use of the port, resulting in the growth of ancillary industries and creating more job opportunities for lakhs of people over a period of time, the Chief Minister elaborated.
“In the next 24 months, you can see big ships anchoring in the Machilipatnam sea waters,” Jagan said while thanking the farmers who had given their lands for the construction of port.
As many as 4,000 acres of government land would be gradually linked to the port being built in an area of 242 acres given by the farmers, he added.
Speaking on the new medical college in Machilipatnam, Jagan said that the college built at a cost of Rs 550 crore was almost ready and that the admissions would commence either by August or September. It would cater to the health needs of the people of Pedana, Avanigadda and Kaikaluru.
The government has been building four new seaports, including the one at Machilipatnam, by spending over Rs 16,000 crore and 10 fishing harbours and 6 fish land centers at an estimated cost of Rs 3700 crore, besides six new airports, Jagan said, while asserting that the Machilipatnam fishing harbour would be completed in the next four months, which would help the local fishermen grow financially.
The Chief Minister added that 25,000 new jobs would be created at each port, fishing harbours and fish land centers. “This will help in curbing migration of fishermen to other coastal cities in search of livelihood,” he emphasised.
Responding to the appeal of MLA Perni Venkatramaiah (Nani), the Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 25 crore for a road over bridge at the medical college, Rs 3 crore for the construction of six community halls, Rs 5 crore for Ambedkar Bhavan repair works, besides ordering the district Collector to resolve the issues of the assigned land in 12 villages. YSRCP MP V Balashowry, MLA Perni Nani, district Collector P. Raja Babu also addressed the public meeting.