Andhra Pradesh govt to invest Rs 12K cr in first phase to build four ports

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to build four ports with an initial investment of Rs12,000 crore to increase its port-handling capacity from 100 million tonne (mt) per annum now to around 400 mt by 2025. 

The proposed four non-major greenfield ports are Bhavanapadu Port in Srikakulam district, Kakinada SEZ Port in East Godavari, Machilipatnam Port in Krishna, and Ramayapatnam Port in Prakasham district. 

In a bid to reach the port handling target, the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board is in talks to tie up with Indian Railways arm Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for additional supply of cargo.

“We have asked the DFCCIL to enter into a pact with us, to connect the upcoming network with our four new ports. For each of these ports, we are expected to see investments to the tune of Rs3,000 crore each during the first phase,” N P Ramakrishna Reddy, chief executive officer of AP Maritime Board, told Business Standard. 

The DFCCIL is planning to come up with three more dedicated freight corridors at an investment of Rs3 trillion — the East-West Corridor (2,328 km) between Kolkata and Mumbai, the North-South Corridor (2,327km) between Delhi and Chennai, and the East Coast Corridor (1,114 km) between Kharagpur and Vijaywada.