TDP politburo member and former minister, Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, on Saturday expressed serious concern that the most prestigious container terminal of the Krishnapatnam Port is being shifted to Tamil Nadu from Nellore resulting in the loss of employment for over 10,000 and Rs 1,000 cr revenue for the State.
Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy told media persons here that the container terminal at Nellore is being closed by the end of this month and finally only dry cargo will remain here. It is really horrible that the State Government did not respond when such massive damage was being caused to Andhra Pradesh, Somireddy said.
The TDP politburo member said that they are getting ready for a prolonged agitation to save the Krishnapatnam Port which is the result of several sacrifices made by the farming sector here. The Krishnapatnam Port container terminal is the most prestigious one, he said.
Of the 12 major ports in the country, the container terminal of the Krishnapatnam Port competes with the Chennai Port, the Visakhapatnam Port and the Mumbai Port, Somireddy said. “It is really unfortunate that such a distinguished terminal is getting closed by the end of January,” a seriously concerned TDP politburo member said.
It is really painful that such a reputed port is facing a pathetic situation after it is taken over by the Adani Group from the Krishnapatnam Port Company, he said. Transhipment is allowed from here to international ports like Colombo, the United States and Singapore while imports are from China, Malaysia, Dubai and Thailand, Somireddy said.
The motor parts for the companies located in Sri City, white cement, solar panels, furniture, LED bulbs and chemicals are being imported from various countries through Krishnapatnam Port, Somireddy stated. This apart, the State Government gets an annual revenue of Rs 1,000 cr in the shape of sales tax, he added.
After the YSRCP came to power the transactions from here came down by Rs 5 lakh cr bringing down the State’s revenue by Rs 500 cr, he pointed out. The container cargo is being shifted to Tamil Nadu now while dry cargo like ash, coal and other such material is being continued from here, he stated.
Somireddy felt that it is really a great injustice being done to the State with the cooperation of the Central Government. Recalling that the foundation for the Krishnapatnam Port was laid in 1996 when Chandrababu Naidu was the chief minister of the combined Andhra Pradesh and when he was local MLA, Somireddy said that the construction of the port was completed by Navayuga Company of Visawesawara Rao when Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the chief minister of the State.
Unfortunately, this port went into the hands of the Adani Group after Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister and since then it has been facing a tough time, Somireddy said and made it clear that the locals will not keep quiet if it is shifted from here. “Very soon an agitational programme is being formulated with all parties to save the Krishnapatnam Port,” the TDP politburo member announced.
