Andhra Pradesh in general, and Visakhapatnam in particular, has high potential for growth and there is no dearth of opportunities, if the State government takes speedy decisions and strives to implement them, according to Visakhapatnam MP K. Haribabu.
At a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Friday, the MP called for a change in the mindset of bureaucrats and politicians for the speedy clearance of files. He said that while Telangana has only one airport after bifurcation, AP has Visakhapatnam International Airport besides airports at Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, and Tirupathi. The 974-km long coastline was another advantage.
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He underlined the need for development of new ports as was done in Gujarat. He said that cities that have both seaport and airport connectivity had excellent prospects for growth and Vizag has that unique advantage.
Mr. Haribabu stressed on the importance of enhancing power generation to ensure 24-hour power to the industry. The government could think of solar and renewable energy sources. He advocated decentralised development and said that Visakhapatnam could be developed as an IT hub and cinema capital, while the educational institutes of national importance proposed in the AP Reorganisation Bill could be spread over north Andhra, central Andhra and Rayalaseema.
Araku MP Kothapalli Geetha spoke on the importance of infrastructure development to spur growth in the State. She said that many countries were coming forward to invest in infrastructure development in the country and in projects like the Vizag –Chennai industrial corridor. CII Visakhapatnam zone chairman G.V.L. Satya Kumar gave a presentation on the prospects of Vizag region.
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CII AP region chairman Chitturi Suresh presided.