The Hindu : Business : Krishnapatnam port dedicated to the nation

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Friday, Jul 18, 2008
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Krishnapatnam port dedicated to the nation

Staff Correspondent

The port is being developed to meet growing global trade

— PHOTO: S. R. RAGHUNATHAN

PRESTIGIOUS VENTURE: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the port near Nellore on Thursday.

KRISHNAPATNAM: United Progressive Alliance Chairperson and All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday dedicated the Krishnapatnam port here to the nation.

The UPA Chairperson also unveiled the replica of the port In the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Krishnapatnam Port Company Chairman C. V. Rao to mark the occasion.

The Krishnapatnam port is being developed as a modern deep water and high productivity port to sustain the demand of growing international trade. It is scheduled to be completed by 2011 by which time the port will become the biggest container terminal in India.

The port is expected to move around two lakh containers in its first year of operation and some 4.50 lakh containers in the second year. The location of the port offers logistical advantage for trade in domestic as well as Asia-Pacific and Far-Eastern regions. The phase-I allows the logistics of iron ore handling of 14 million tonnes, coal handling of seven million tonnes and general cargo of two million tonnes annually by the maximum ship size of 65,000 dwr (depth -13.2m C.D).

Ms. Gandhi asked the State Government to take up comprehensive relief and rehabilitation measures for all project oustees. “The ruling Congress led by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy has been taking relief and rehabilitation measures for project oustees, especially the vulnerable sections of the society in a phased manner. The same kind of measures should be implemented for the new projects too” she added.

Referring to other developmental activities in the State, the Congress President said that the Rajiv Gandhi International airport, which was inaugurated two months ago, had been acknowledged as the finest to come up under the public-private partnership. “Thus, Andhra Pradesh has become a role model for all other States.”

Stating that industrialisation could give fillip to economic growth, she said that all those projects that were coming up would indeed create sizable employment avenues and could eventually pave way for the overall development. She also said that the Krishnapatnam port would very soon become the most modernised port with the state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities. Later, the Chief Minister announced that a container terminal with international standards would come up at Krishnapatnam port.

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