Focus on infra projects, clear land acquisition

Amaravati: The state government is focusing on completing major infrastructure projects within stipulated timelines to strengthen investment and economic growth, infrastructure and investments department secretary Kona Sasidhar said at the Collectors’ Conference on Thursday.

He directed collectors to prioritise land acquisition, land transfer, legal cases, local clearances and inter-departmental coordination to speed up project execution. Land acquisition and alienation covering 25,662 acres for ports, fishing harbours, fish landing centres and airports are to be expedited. The government is developing greenfield ports, fishing harbours and shipbuilding facilities. The targeted completion dates are March 2027 for Ramayapatnam Port, May 2027 for Mulapeta, December 2027 for Machilipatnam and September 2028 for Kakinada Gateway.

Fishing harbours at Juvvaladinne, Uppada, Nizampatnam and Machilipatnam are targeted for completion between December 2026 and December 2027. Aviation projects are underway at Bhogapuram, Kurnool, Tirupati, Kadapa, Vijayawada and Rajamahendravaram, while proposals for several greenfield airports are at different stages. Eight water aerodrome sites and nine heliport locations have been identified. Collectors were asked to identify 5–10 acres for heliports in the remaining districts and expedite acquisition of 670 acres for expansion of the Puttaparthi airstrip. National highway projects worth Rs 1,18,566 crore covering 1,408 km are in the pipeline. The government has also approved repairs covering 10,238 km of roads, while 78 Pushkaram works and 14 incomplete bridges are being taken up.

Sasidhar said 42 railway and multi-line projects covering 2,678 km, costing Rs 46,789 crore, were underway. Another 343 ROB or RUB projects involve Rs 13,305 crore.

Land acquisition remains pending for 91 national highway projects, 37 railway projects and 13 ROB/RUB projects. Collectors were directed to resolve these issues on priority and maintain project-wise records of pending issues, responsible officials and deadlines.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India