‘Include freight corridor in PM Gati Shakti’

Mekapati appeals to Goyal to set up energy equipment making zone in A.P.

Minister for Industries and Commerce and Information Technology Mekapati Goutham Reddy met Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Thursday and discussed the implementation of various projects.

Mr. Goutham Reddy proposed that the east coast dedicated freight corridor running from Kharagpur to Vijayawada could be included in the PM Gati Shakti (a national master plan for multi-modal connectivity) to facilitate its expeditious development. Mr. Goyal said he would positively look into it, an official release here said.

Mr. Goutham requested Mr. Goyal to sanction one of the three proposed critical power and renewable energy equipment manufacturing zones in the country to Andhra Pradesh, and choose Mannavaram in Chittoor district for it. The government had allotted 750 acres of land there for a project of the NTPC-BHEL consortium.

Mr. Goutham Reddy informed the Union Minister that the State government undertook the establishment of a textile park at Kopparthy in Kadapa district, and sought the Central government’s cooperation for the same under the Atmanirbhar Bharat programme.

He also appealed to Mr. Goyal to consider reducing the State’s share in the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor project cost from 20% to 10%. A.P. Bhavan Resident Commissioner Bhavana Saxena, APIIC MD J.V.N. Subramanyam, AP MedTech Zone CEO Jitendra Sharma, and adviser Lanka Sridhar were present.