Centre ready to develop port in AP if state pays land cost: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday said it was ready to develop the Durgarajapatnam port in Andhra Pradesh provided the state government was willing to bear the cost of land acquisition.

"There is need to aquire 5,100 acres of land for the port for which we have sought the cooperation of the state government," Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari said adding that progress was stalled because of the land issue. He said if the state government was ready to bear the cost of land aquisition, the Centre is ready to develop the port.

Earlier Congress member Mohd Ali Khan had raised the matter saying the first stage for developing the Durgarajapatnam port had to be completed by 2018 but there has been no progress in this regard.

Gadkari also said the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board Bill, 2015 has been received by the Home Ministry as passed by the State Legislature. The Bill has been circulated to the concerned Union Ministries for their comments, he added.