Port: Vizag’s loss is Prakasam’s gain

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Dec 7, 2012:  While Nakkapalli in Vizag district was preferred as ideal place to develop second major port in the state, PMO’s decision to set up the Rs 8,000 cr port at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district is seen as failure local leadership in bringing pressure on the concerned.  

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), on Thursday, said that tenders for the proposed port would be finalized by March 2013 and the works would begin from April onwards.

Though, the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command (ENC), reportedly raised objections over the proposed port citing security reasons as a new submarine base is coming up in the vicinity of the proposed site Rambilli, timely intervention by the district ministers could have made the difference.

Ports and infrastructure minister, Ganta Srinivasa Rao who was elected to the Assembly from the district convened an all party meeting in September and promised to take a delegation to the chief minister to press their demand for the port at Nakkapalli, but there were no efforts in this regard.

The present Vizag port is the only major port in the state though Andhra Pradesh has tremendous potential to handle foreign trade through sea due to its vast coast line of 996kms. In order to tap the foreign trade opportunities state government has approached the union government with a proposal for a second major port when the Centre announced its maritime agenda for the next decade 2010-20.
Three places were shortlisted for the proposed port, Nakkapalli in Vizag district,
Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district and Duggirajapatnam in Nellore district. A high-level central committee visited the three places in the last six months and the report was also submitted.

Later the state government wrote to Centre recommending Ramaypatnam, which irked the opposition parties.

There were reports that ISRO and the defence officials reportedly raised security concerns as SHAR is near to Duggirajapatnam and Nakkapalli is close to Naval Alternative Operations Base (NAOB).

“Nakkapalli is the ideal place having air connectivity too which is very close to KG Basin and many industries in Vizag. I wonder why Navy raised objections over Nakkapalli port when they didn’t do to the present port which is also very close to many establishments of ENC. Another port would help economic growth in this region” said TD state vice president and former minister, Bandaru Satyanrayana Murthy.

He accused Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao of acting in favour of his native district, Prakasam.

The main opposition TD too which promised an agitation on large scale was silent since two months and never raised the issue at an appropriate platform.