Lokesh Seeks Central Support for Duggirajapatnam Port and Other AP Projects
Lokesh sought the support for a 50-km Vijayawada-Eastern bypass to ease traffic congestion.
Vijayawada: Education Minister Nara Lokesh had a busy schedule in New Delhi on Monday, calling on several central ministers to push the state's causes.
Lokesh called on ports minister Sarbananda Sonowal and sought his help to expedite development of the Duggirajapatnam major port.
Lokesh explained that the port was having a potential to attract investments worth `26,000 crore and a job potential of 35,000 in Nellore district. He urged Sonowal to extend liberal assistance to AP’s maritime infrastructure, ports-led development and water projects.
The Duggirajapatnam port, he said, was planned in a 2,000 acre land backed by `3,500 crore central investment. “It is expected to house a ship building and repair hub. Technical studies are under way, with the state contributing the land as equity under the SPV model. It aimed to attract a global partner and integration with industrial corridors.”
The AP minister also discussed the progress of the 110 Sagarmala projects worth Rs.1.14 lakh crore being taken up in APo. He said these would promote port connectivity, their modernisation, coastal shipping, inland waterways and port-led industrialization.
Lokesh pleaded for a central support of Rs.200 crore to upgrade wharfs and slipways and to incorporate measures at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, Mulapeta and Kakinada anchorage. He also sought another tranche of support worth Rs.127.5 crore to set up new passenger routes, cargo terminals, floating jetties on Godavari-Krishna rivers etc.
The AP minister met highways minister Nitin Gadkari and sought fast-track approvals for major highway expansions and urban mobility projects including the Kuppam-Bengaluru-Chennai industrial corridor. He discussed the Kuppam-Hosur-Bengaluru greenfly highway spread over 56km that would require an investment of Rs.3,000 crore and sought Gadkari’s support for early approval and direct road linkage to the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway (NE-7).
Lokesh called for revival of the Kuppam area development authority region spanning 1,051 sq-km and plans for a major industrial park to give a boost to investment and employment. He called for inter grade double-decker flyovers with metro corridors along NH-16 including a 20km elevated corridor in Visakhapatnam and a 4.7km stretch in Vijayawada, modelled after Nagpur’ successful urban design.
He also sought the support for a 50-km Vijayawada-Eastern bypass to ease traffic congestion.
Lokesh met petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri to discuss fast-tracking of various AP projects and pitched for a BPCL refinery-cum-petrochemical complex at Rayapatnam in Nellore district. He said the Rs.95,000 crore project was expected to generate over 5,000 jobs and accelerate industrialization.
The AP minister also called on health minister JP Nadda and explained about the severe shortage of urea in the ongoing Kharif season. Lokesh sought his intervention for sufficient allocations to AP. Nadda promised to allocate 29,000 metric tonnes of urea to AP by Aug. 21, it is learnt.
Lokesh met minister for finance Nirmala Sitharaman and extended her birthday wishes and expressed gratitude to her for the financial support she is extending to AP. He sought her support for Ap’s new projects and initiatives.
