I'm not against thermal plants, says Kruparani

But power plant at Sompeta not 'ideal' Srikakulam: Minister of State for IT and Communications Dr Killi Kruparani said that she was not against power plants but opined that the power plant at Bheela in Sompeta was not ideal. Stating that development is possible only through industrialisation, she said that it would halt the exodus of labour from the district that has become a major problem. Addressing the media at a meeting on the occasion of laying of foundation-stone for the Head Post Office (HPO) building at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore at Amudalavalasa on Friday, Dr Kruparani said that thousands of villagers were leaving their homes in north Andhra region in search of jobs in industrially developed areas. "If the district is developed industrially, it could develop in all other aspects as well," she said. When the reporters asked her why she was not present at a meeting held in Sompeta recently, she said that she had an important meeting to attend and was unable to make it. Referring to the postal services, the Union Minister said that the Indian Postal Department was extending transparent services. While it has been proposed to upgrade 15 post offices all over the country, arrangements have already been made to upgrade two post offices in the district, she said. Modernisation of the Postal Department has been taken up at an estimated Rs 4,700 crore, she informed. As part of modernisation, postal banking services would be introduced and the money transfer scheme would also be applied. In this context, the minister informed that daily 1.75 lakh letters, 1.9 lakh money orders and 2.5 lakh parcels were being distributed all over the country. To speed up these services, the Automated Mailing Processing Centres (AMPCs) would be arranged. A Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) unit would be set up at Amudalavalasa soon with an aim to provide employment to the youth, she said. Andhra Pradesh circle Chief Post Master General Viswapavanpathi, who presided over the function, said that the new building for the HPO would come up on a site of 1.45 acres in Amudalavalasa town. The estimated cost of the building was Rs 2 crore and steps have been taken to complete the construction within one year, he said. At least 20 sub-offices and 149 branch offices function under the HPO serving nearly 3,68,000 account holders. MLC Peerukatla Viswaprasad, MLA B Satyavathi, Vijayawada region Post Master General M Sampath, Visakha Regional Post Master General Sarada Sampath, personal secretary of the Union Minister Praveen Prakash, District Collector Saurabh Gaur, SPO J Prasad Babu, DCC president Narthu Narendra Yadav, Doctors' Cell convenor Dr K Ramamohan Rao, former president of the Amudalavalasa Municipal Union B Ramesh, postal officials and others participated.