50% of Bandar port works completed: Minister
Roads and buildings minister B C Janardhan Reddy, along with excise minister Kollu Ravindra, APSRTC chairman Konakalla Narayana Rao, addressing the media in Machilipatnam on Wednesday
Machilipatnam (Krishna district): Minister for roads and buildings and infrastructure and investments BC Janardhan Reddy stated that the Bandar port (Machilipatnam) project is now over 50 per cent complete, with Rs 1,760 crore spent so far.
The remaining 42 per cent of work, costing approximately Rs 1,700 crore, is expected to be completed by December this year and added monthly reviews have been planned to monitor progress.
On Wednesday, minister Janardhan Reddy, along with minister for mines and geology and excise Kollu Ravindra, APSRTC chairman Konakjalla Narayana Rao, joint collector M Naveen, and other officials, held a review meeting on the progress of Bandar port, Gilakaladindi fishing Harbour, and road projects at the mini conference hall of the collectorate in Machilipatnam.
Addressing the media, minister Janardhan Reddy said that under the directions of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, road development has been given top priority to improve connectivity, attract industries, and enhance infrastructure. Road repair works covering 16,000 km at a cost of Rs 1,081 crore have already been completed across the state.
Further, he said tendering for new construction projects worth Rs 3,380 crore has been initiated, with several agreements signed and work underway. Also, he said all projects are expected to be completed by May end without any compromise on quality. In Krishna district alone, road repairs worth Rs 160 crore covering 1,518 km have been carried out, he added.
Specifically, Machilipatnam constituency saw 166 km of repairs at a cost of Rs.33 crore, he said.
Other constituencies have also received allocations: Pamarru Rs.28 crore, Gannavaram Rs.27 crore, Gudivada Rs.16 crore, Avanigadda Rs.20 crore, Penamaluru Rs.15 crore, and Pedana Rs.26 crore, with works progressing rapidly, he explained.
Regarding the Gilakaladindi Fishing Harbor, Janardhan Reddy said technical challenges delayed the project, but it is expected to be completed by June 2026. The harbor would be named after former Fisheries Minister Nadakuditi Narasimharao, honoring his contributions. Construction progress would be reviewed every three months, he added.
Minister Kollu Ravindra expressed gratitude to Minister Janardhan Reddy for sanctioning Rs.46 crore for various road works in Machilipatnam constituency. He highlighted that previous governments had neglected road construction and maintenance, while the current administration has spent Rs1,000 crore on repairing damaged roads and filling potholes statewide. Regarding fishing operations, he said the fishing ban would be implemented from April 15 to June 14, and after that, fishing operations are scheduled to begin from June 15.
DCMS chairperson Bandi Ramakrishna, DRO K Chandrashekar Rao, Bandar port chief engineer Raghava Rao and other senior officials attended the meeting.
