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As a controversy rages over the Central assistance to Andhra Pradesh, the State government is insisting on the construction of a major port at Dugarajapatnam in Nellore district as planned, but according to experts, the site is not suitable in many ways.
A demand to shift the proposed port to Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district has been revived.
Previous proposal
In fact, the proposal to construct two major ports — one at Sagar in West Bengal and the other at Dugarajapatnam in Nellore district — was mooted much before the bifurcation of the State and a technical committee was appointed. The expert committee found that Dugarajapatnam in Nellore district was not suitable, as the space research station (SHAR) was located in the vicinity and further Pulicat Lake was also in the vicinity. The construction of a port would jeopardise the lake, it was pointed out.
The Congress government, then in power with N Kiran Kumar Reddy as Chief Minister, then suggested in 2013 that the port be located at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam district. He offered to bear the land acquisition cost and the also the relief and rehabilitation package cost. The total outlay of the port at that time was estimated at ₹25,000 crore.
However, the Dugarajapatnam major port proposal was again revived in the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014, but the technical objections to the location of the port still remain.
The Ongole Development Council has appealed to the State government to send a new proposal, or revive the proposal of the Kiran Kumar Reddy government, to locate the major port at Ramayapatnam, which is more suitable, as it is closer to Rayalaseema and the landlocked Telangana state.
Petrochem complex
The proposed petrochemical complex in the State can also be located at Ramayapatnam, instead of Kakinada, to make the port more viable, they said.
At present, there is only one major port in the State, Visakhapatnam, located in the north-coastal AP and the need for a second major port in south-coastal AP is felt, as the State has a long coastline of nearly 1,000 km.
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