On the dais of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the capital city Amaravati last week, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had announced that the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) would soon to set up a Dredging Harbour at Antarvedi in East Godavari district.
Three weeks before this announcement, a group of senior officials from the DCI inspected the proposed site at Antarvedi along with the local officials and elected representatives. With the officials expressing willingness to allocate 200 acres of government land for the project, decks seems to be cleared for the construction of the dredging harbour, the first of its kind in the country and third in the world. In all likelihood, works pertaining to the project will be commenced within six months from now.
The Rs. 1,800-crore dredging harbour-cum-training centre can take care of the maintenance part of the dredgers that are into the job of de-silting the ports being maintained by the government and private companies. This harbour can become a centre to facilitate dredgers not only from India, but from the entire South Asia. As the land identified for the project is lying vacant at present and the DCI has expressed its willingness to address the livelihood issues of the people. Who are likely to be evacuated for the project and revenue officials are now on the job of compiling the land records.
“In the first phase, the EG district will get qualitative road, as the DCI needs god connectivity from Eetakota to Antarvedi to move its equipment to the project site. Similarly, there is a possibility of the local youth getting employment in the project,” says Collector H. Arun Kumar.
“We can take the help of the National Highway Authority of India, which can bring the 60-km stretch under the ambit of the NH216,” says P. Ravindra Babu, Amalapuram MP. In the capacity of local MP, he has visited the site and interacted with the DCI officials. “My concern is about environment. But the DCI representatives assured me that they are going to build a green harbour,” he says.
