Union Minister alleges AP govt over incomplete projects

By Our Special Correspondent

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash said that the Union government has sanctioned crores of rupees for many projects in the state but still not all the projects have been completed.

Speaking to the media here on Thursday, the Minister alleged that the work on the railway line between Kakinada-Kotipalli-Narapur is going on at a slow pace. He said that the state government has not paid the share due to the Railway Board.

He suggested that the state government should pay its share to the railway board and cooperate in the completion of the railway line. Prakash said that ONGC S1 Vasishta Gas Terminal has been constructed at a cost of Rs.5, 700 crore at the port near Amalapuram in Konaseema district. He said that a multi-modal logistic park (MMLP) is being constructed at Kakinada port with a total cost of Rs.200 crores.

But it is not finished yet. Although many people are demanding to change the name of Kakinada Town Railway Station to Kakinada City Railway Station, he said that no complaint or letter has been received from the state government regarding the change.

Prime Minister Modi alleged that the state government is spreading false propaganda that funds have not been released, but the state government has already received funds from the Center and diverted them to other needs.

Prakash questioned why the state government did not reduce the VAT on petrol and diesel when the Modi government reduced the prices of diesel and petrol.

He said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has increased the charges of electricity, houses, property registration, and waste collection, water, and vehicle registration and apartment users and made the life of the common man hellish.

Minister Som Prakash said that in 2017, the then Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had granted an Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) to Kakinada, and as the Center was ready to release funds for the development of EMC, a proposal should be sent to the government.

He said that GAIL and HPCL are exploring the possibilities of setting up a million tonne capacity ethylene unit at Kakinada with a total cost of Rs 35,000 crore, huge job opportunities for youth.

He said that the state government has to develop a four-lane road from Kakinada to Dauleshwaram via Anaparthi. He urged the government to complete the project immediately or hand it over to NHAI for early completion.

He said that the center is developing a fishing harbor in Uppada village with a cost of 400 crore rupees under the Prime Minister Matsya Sampada Yojana and Blue Revolution programme. They demanded the state government to speed up the construction for the benefit of fishermen in Kakinada district.