CM to kick off works for construction of  Rs 5,156-crore Machilipatnam Port

The port would be ready in 24 to 30 months and have an annual capacity of 35.12 million tonnes.
A fisherman goes about his business at the Machilipatnam Port in Krishna district. (File photo| Ch Narayana Rao, EPS)
A fisherman goes about his business at the Machilipatnam Port in Krishna district. (File photo| Ch Narayana Rao, EPS)

VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy would formally commence the works for the construction of the Machilipatnam Port on Monday. The State government has taken up the project at a cost of Rs 5,156 crore. Officials said the port, once completed, would transform the district as it would mark the beginning of the expansion of commercial activities.

The port would be ready in 24 to 30 months and have an annual capacity of 35.12 million tonnes. Once operations begin, the Machilipatnam port can generate 25,000 direct and indirect jobs. Four berths would be set up for handling imports and exports of general cargo, coal and multipurpose containers. Officials said six more berths would be added and capacity would be enhanced to 115 million tonnes per annum as per the growing traffic in future.

They added that the Machilipatnam Port would cater to exports of fertilizers, coal, cooking oil, containers, agricultural products, cement, granite, cement clinker, iron ore from districts of Guntur, Krishna, NTR, East and West Godavari in Andhra Pradesh and from Khammam, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nalgonda and Warangal districts in neighbouring Telangana.

Authorities explained that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) —Machilipatnam Port Development Corporation Limited— was established in February 2020 to take up the construction of the Port.  The port obtained environmental clearances on February 28, 2023 and permits from the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board were obtained on April 13, 2023. Land acquisition of 1,923 acres was completed in March 2023.

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