The Union Cabinet's decision to locate two industrial cities in AP has given an impetus to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's efforts to rebuild the state, "ruined" by the erstwhile YSRCP government.
Published Aug 29, 2024 | 6:36 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 29, 2024 | 6:36 AM
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. (X)
The Union Cabinet’s decision to develop two industrial cities in Andhra Pradesh has come as a shot in the arm for the TDP-led NDA government in the state.
Orvakal and Kopparthy in Andhra Pradesh are among the 12 identified for setting up industrial cities under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) with an estimated investment of ₹28,602 crore.
Zaheerabad in Telangana and Palakkad in Kerala, too, have been identified for the programme in South India.
The Union Cabinet decision has given an impetus to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s efforts to rebuild the state, “ruined” by the erstwhile YSRCP government.
Responding to the central Cabinet decision, Naidu said it was a historic day for Andhra Pradesh. “It is a good beginning. These two hubs (industrial cities) are in addition to the two already sanctioned.” Besides Andhra, Uttar Pradesh was the only state with two places — Agra and Prayagraj — identified to establish industrial cities.
Other cities identified are Khurpia in Uttarakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in Maharashtra, Gaya in Bihar, and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.
The two industrial cities for Andhra Pradesh have been attributed to TDP’s ability to influence the BJP, which has to depend on the Telugu regional outfit for its survival.
Naidu, while speaking to the media at the state Secretariat at Velagapudi near Vijayawada, appeared visibly happy that the state was moving on the right lines, with Centre green-lighting the creation of three industrial corridors: Visakhapatnam- Chennai, Chennai- Bengaluru, and Chennai-Hyderabad.
The one at Kopparthi in the Kadapa district would come up in an area of 2,596 acres for which infrastructure would be created with an investment of ₹2,137 crore. The city is expected to produce 54,000 jobs. The Orvakallu industrial city in Kurnool would be in 2,620 acres, developed at an estimated cost of ₹2,786 crore. The city might attract ₹12,000 crore investment and provide 45,000 jobs.
The other two hubs already sanctioned would come up at Krishnapatnam in Nellore and Nakkapalli in Visakhapatnam. The Krishnapatnam port would have a synergistic influence on the industrial city that would come up in its vicinity while a pharma hub has been planned at Nakkpalli.
Naidu said that the Centre has accepted the state’s request for ₹12,127 crore and that the project would be completed by March 2027. This, apart from the allotted two industrial hubs, would accelerate the state’s development.
The chief minister termed Polavaram an emotive issue for the people of the state. With the Centre now cooperating with the state, his efforts to bring about all-round development would become easier and faster. He said till the time he demitted from office in 2019, he had completed 72 percent of the Polavaram project.
“I had by then spent ₹4,114 crore on rehabilitation of the displaced persons,” he said and pointed out that the works of the Polavaram project grounded to a halt on the day YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took over as the chief minister in 2019.
Later, Information and Public Relations Minister K Parthasarathy told reporters that the state Cabinet has decided to do away with the “reverse tendering” system brought in by the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government. The regular tendering process for awarding works would be restored, he said after a Cabinet meeting.
The reverse tendering system had scope for misuse which was exploited by the earlier government to benefit those who were in Jagan Mohan Reddy’s good books, he said.
In another decision, the Cabinet cleared a proposal to hold elections for water users’ committees as mandated by the AP Farmers’ Management of Irrigation Systems Act.
(Edited by Majnu Babu)
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