AP CM set to lay stone for Bhavanapadu port tomorrow

• Rs 2,949.70-cr EPC contract awarded to Viswa Samudra Holdings and RR Constructions

• Initial handling capacity of 23.53 million tonnes

• Infrastructure will be developed on 500 acres

• Lands of the Mulapeta and Vishnu Chakram village proposed for acquisition

• Govt will spend Rs 261 cr towards for construction of rehabilitation colonies

Visakhapatnam: The stage is set for grounding of work on the all-weather deepwater Bhavanapadu Port after the Andhra Pradesh Government cleared the proposal to rename it as Mulapeta Port on the suggestion of project affected families.

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the Rs 2,949.70 crore first phase project, which was hanging for a long time, has been awarded to a consortium comprising Viswa Samudra Holdings Pvt Ltd and R R Constructions. The site plan for the port has also been changed after AP Maritime Development Board decided to take up the project in undivided Srikakulam district.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to lay the stone for the project on April 19. The arrangements for the function were reviewed at separate meetings by Industries Minister Gudivada Amarnath, Education Minister Botcha Satyanarayana and Animal Husbandry Minister S Appala Raju. Amarnath said the project will bring a lot of prosperity in the backward areas of Srikakulam district.

The port in the first phase will have three general cargo berths and a bulk cargo terminal. It will initially have a handling capacity of 23.53 million tonnes. Infrastructure will be developed in an area of 500 acres. Appalaraju said the State Government will spend Rs 261 crore towards land acquisition for construction of rehabilitation colonies.

The detailed project report prepared by RITES was cleared by the State Government in August, 2020. During the erstwhile Telugu Desam Party Government the project was awarded to Adani Ports Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore. However, it walked out of the project in 2020, almost two years after its announcement, saying conditions put forth in the revised concession agreement were not acceptable to it.

In a recent GO, R Karikal Valaven, Special Chief Secretary, Industries said the government has cleared the proposal to rename Bhavanapadu as Mulapeta Port. The GO stated based on the proposal of the CEO, APMB and considering the factors such as future expansion of the port activities, approach channel alignment, adequate provisions to ensure mitigation of possible environmental challenges due to construction of harbour, breakwater, provision for necessary dumping ground for the disposal of dredged material without interfering with the environment and challenges related to R&R of the project displaced families, the government has modified the port limits.

It has been extended southwards beyond Tekkali creek covering Mulapeta and Vishnu Chakram villages. The District Collector, Srikakulam earlier submitted that since inception the project has been named as Bhavanapadu Port and correspondences were also made for acquisition of lands for the purpose of establishment of greenfield Bhavanapadu Port. He further stated that during the District Level Negotiating Committee meeting conducted for the purpose of land acquisition, the farmers of the Mulapeta and Vishnu Chakram villages have requested to change nomenclature as Mulapeta Port instead of Bhavanapadu Port, as Bhavanapadu village is not at all covered in the present proposed port area.

Since all the lands of the Mulapeta village and some of the lands in Vishnu Chakram village have been proposed for acquisition and not the lands of Bhavanapadu village, the District Collector, Srikakulam suggested change the nomenclature of Bhavanapadu Port as Mulapeta Greenfield Port for further communications.

The GO said “therefore, the government hereby order that the port which was notified as Bhavanapadu Port shall be henceforth named as Mulapeta Port.”