The State government has no plan to handover the Machilipatnam port to Telangana, Industries and Commerce Minister M. Goutham Reddy has said.
“It is rumoured in the social media that the government will give away the Machilipatnam port to Telangana. There is no iota of truth in it. It requires Central government permission,” Mr. Goutham Reddy told the Assembly on Friday.
The Minister was responding to a question raised by Vijayawada (Central) MLA Malladi Vishnu (YSRCP) during the Question Hour.
As the Minister was about to answer the query raised by Mr. Vishnu and Pedana MLA Jogi Ramesh (YSRCP), a few MLAs from the Treasury Benches raised slogans such as “Machilipatnam port... Telangana State,” which prompted Mr. Goutham Reddy to clarify.
Mr. Goutham Reddy said 3,983 acres – 2,985 acres government and 998 acre private – had been acquired so far for the project.
PPP model
The government had awarded the development of the port under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis to M/s Machilipatnam Limited (M/s. MPL). The State government would execute the project if no private developer came forward, he added.
Earlier, Mr. Vishnu said the previous government had issued land acquisition notification for 33,000 acres for the project.
‘Farmers clueless’
The farmers dependent on the land were clueless. The government was requested to withdraw the notification so that the farmers could avail of bank loan and cultivate their lands, he said.
Mr. Ramesh said the YSR government had proposed to develop the port in 5,200 acres. Former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was in the Opposition then, opposed it and said the government was doing business with the farmers’ lands. The Minister said the issue would be brought to the notice of the Chief Minister.
