The State government is considering setting up a ‘Land Bank’ by identifying 2 lakh acres across the State, which are being allocated to various industrial units. Announcing this here on Thursday, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the government was not against industrial development but opposed to pollutant industries.
“We are welcoming industrialists to set up industries by using ultra-modern machinery, so that the release of pollutants can be mitigated. Industrial development will not only boost the State’s economy, but it can also address unemployment to some extent,” Mr. Ramakrishnudu said. He was speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Janmabhoomi-Maa Vooru’ programme here.
He added that the government would appoint committees in all districts with officials and farmers as members, and they would look into lands that had already been allocated for industrial development. “These committees will also check whether the lands are being used for industrial development. Similarly, they are also expected to identify the lands that are used for industrial development in the districts,” he said.
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Stating that the government has already allocated Rs. 5,000 crore for setting up Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals in Kakinada and Visakhapatnam, Mr. Ramakrishnudu said the State was opposed to the setting up of the ship-breaking unit in Kakinada, and that it was instead demanding sanction for a ship-building unit. “Similarly, we want the Union government to sanction a commercial port at Kakinada, instead of the captive port that has been proposed in KSEZ,” he said.
Mr. Ramakrishnudu also said there was no harm to the environment owing to the setting up of a hardware park in Kakinada that was proposed in the Union Budget.