CM to lay foundation stone today for Nelaturu fishing harbour

NELLORE: Fulfilling the 14-year-old demand of fisherfolk belonging to 16 villages around Krishnapatnam Port, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay the foundation stone for a fishing harbour at Nelaturu village in Nellore district on Thursday.

The medium-sized harbour will have the facility to dock around 450 boats. The Nelaturu is one of the nine harbours that the state government proposes to establish all along the AP coast.

According to sources in AP Maritime Board (APMB), 50 percent of works have been completed with respect to four fishing harbours taken up in the first phase at Juvvaladinne, Nizampatnam, Machilipatnam and Uppada.

The balance five will be established at Pudimadaka in Anakapalli district, Biyyapatippa in West Godavari, Vodarevu in Guntur, Budagatlapalem in Srikakulam, Kothapatnam in Prakasam and at Nelaturu in Nellore district, for which the AP CM will lay the foundation stone on Thursday.

Prior to that, the Chief Minister will dedicate to nation the third unit of AP Genco’s Damodaram Sanjeevaiah Thermal Power Plant at Nelaturu.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, agriculture minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy said Adani Krishnapatnam Port has agreed to provide ₹25 crore from its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the Nelaturu fishing harbour.

He underlined that the harbour will protect the boats of fishermen during inclement weather, apart from boosting economic opportunities for the fishermen. The minister disclosed that the design for the Nelaturu harbour has already been submitted for receiving the environment clearance.

Kakani pointed out that the upcoming harbour at Juvvaladinne, which is being developed by APMB, is 70 kilometres away, far enough not to economically affect the interests of Nelaturu fishermen.

The minister announced that Jagan Mohan Reddy will also be distributing ₹35.74 crore to the 16,128 families displaced by the Krishnapatnam Port.