‘Andhra govt committed to developing state's coastline’

Metro India News | AMARAVATI

Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Minister BC Janardhan Reddy on Tuesday said the TDP-led government is committed to developing the state's coastline and promised to complete all port and fishing harbour projects soon. Addressing the Assembly, the Infrastructure Minister said the government will expedite Budagatlapalem fishing harbour works in Srikakulam district, and construct a Fish Landing Centre (FLC) in Manchinillapeta.

“Under the leadership of CM Chandrababu Naidu, the coalition government is committed to the development of the coastline. Very soon we will complete all the port and fishing harbour projects taken up in the state,” he said.

Acknowledging existing infrastructural and cold storage issues at Krishnapatnam and Ramayyapatnam ports, the minister promised to resolve them soon. According to Reddy, the Adani Krishnapatnam Port management has agreed to offer Rs 25 crore Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for Nelaturu FLC. Already, he said, Rs 15 crore worth of development works are underway, promising to resolve pending issues to avoid hassles for fishermen.

In West Godavari district, Reddy said the fishing harbour at Biyyaputippa village will be converted into an FLC, among other initiatives. Addressing the issues being faced by coconut farmers in Konaseema region, Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu said the government has devised an action plan for a permanent solution rather than a temporary fix. During the question hour, he said, “The government is planning to plant a new sapling in the place of every damaged coconut tree and desilting the drains to find a permanent solution.”

He noted that proposals are already in place to offer Rs 1,000 per coconut sapling to replace every damaged tree. Out of 1.18 lakh hectares of coconut cultivation in the southern state, he said Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district alone accounted for 0.36 lakh hectares, including 10,000 hectares under tenant farmers in the district.

Atchannaidu pointed out that the failure to desilt canals in the past five years has allowed ocean backwater to seep into the soil, destroying the coconut groves.

Emphasising that planting new saplings alone would not resolve the issue without desilting the canals, Atchannaidu said the government is focusing on the complete overhaul of the drainage system, beginning with allotting funds for Shankaraguptam canal works. Completing the canal works will solve the saltwater intrusion issue in up to two constituencies, he said, promising to take up other canals desilting work as a project.