Centre quashes State’s port development plans 

Hyderabad: Efforts of State government to get necessary support from the Centre, for its proposed port-led economy, identified as one of the key growth trajectories of the State continues to fail.

• A port dept official says plans to develop 13 to 14 ports and maritime-related infrastructure along the coastline has slowed down
• Despite completing the procedure to get support under Sagarmala Scheme but Centre yet to respond vis-à-vis other States, he adds

According to sources, the State government has been harping on Centre’s help in realising the Machilipatnam and Duggirajapatnam ports. Besides, it wanted to develop around 10 to 13 minor ports in the State. This is to exploit the opportunities existing maritime trade potential.

For this, along its 975-km long coastline, the State has identified five zones: Nellore-Prakasam, Guntur-Krishna-Prakasam, East and West Godavari, Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram and Vizianagaram-Srikakulam districts as potential trade areas having even hinter-land feeder channels to boost the domestic exports from AP.

Out of the five zones, it has proposed Ramayampeta and Duggirajapatnam ports in Nellore-Prakasam zone, besides the Krishnapatnam non-captive port, which is already functional. Similarly, in the second zone of Chittoor-Prakasam-Guntur and Krishna it envisages the proposed Machilipatnam port would be a major player.

Besides, the newly proposed Narasapuram port in West Godavari district falling under Krishna-West Godavari and East Godavari zone is expected to help to boost the aqua exports from the State. At present, there is Rawa captive port operational in the zone mainly catering to the oil and gas.

And, most of the exports like food grains and imports like Palmolive oil have been handled though the Kakinada Deep Water Port and an anchorage port too are functional. The Visakhapatnam major and Gangavaram port are functional as non-captive ports in the Visakhapatnam-Vizianagaram zone, besides, one more port proposed at Bhavanapadu in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam zone.

“In all there are 14 non-major ports notified and one major port and six ports are taken up under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. And, for the development of maritime related infrastructure along the side of the coastline, the State has already completed the procedure to get support under Sagarmala Scheme. Yet, the response from the Centre is not that encouraging vis-à-vis other States,” said sources from the State ports department.

As part of this procedure, the State has formed its Maritime Board and the State-level Sagarmala committee. However, while it is yet to get any positive response for the Machilipatnam port, now, there is no word over the Centre-proposed Duggirajapatnam port during the UPA-II government. Along with, even the Ramayampeta port, expected to create employment opportunities for about 20,000 people too has been hanging in balance.

Following the Centre prolonging the issues, recently, the State government had sent its Labour and Employment Minister K Atchannaidu to take part in the meeting of the Sagarmala States at Delhi. “The State was promised to extend cooperation by the Ministry as well as officials dealing with the Sagarmala project. But, going by the previous experience, unless something delivered during the current financial year, it would be difficult for AP to make a head way in the next two years to roll out its plans to boost the port-led economy in the State,” the sources pointed out.