PM may lay stone for railway zone in Vizag

 New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may attend the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Railway Zone Headquarters building at Visakhapatnam, which has been pending for long as the previous government had failed to allot proper land.

During a meeting, Union Minister for Railways Ashwini Vishnaw and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu discussed the railway zone ceremony in detail. Naidu urged the Railway Minister for a new railway line connecting Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Odisha and a bullet train between Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for over an hour discussed various issues with him. According to Naidu, it was a fruitful meeting. He thanked Modi for the Union Cabinet approving the revised cost estimates of the Polavaram project and apprised him of the developments in Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu thanked the Prime Minister for his overall support and reassurance on the Central Government’s handholding in matters related to fiscal stress being faced by the state. He also appreciated the support of the Centre to the capital city of Amaravati. The issue of the World Bank loan of Rs 155 crore for the construction of the capital city and the modalities also is said to have figured during the discussion. The state government wants the Centre should give it as a total grant.

It is said Naidu also handed over the documents about the recent controversy over the adulteration of Tirumala Laddu prasadam to the Prime Minister and explained to him how the tender conditions were altered by the previous TTD trust board constituted by YSRCP government which had led to the alleged irregularities including adulteration of the ghee used in making of prasadam. He is said to have explained the measures taken by the alliance government to restore the sanctity of the temple and purity and quality of Laddu prasadam. Naidu presented the Laddu prasadam to the Prime Minister.

Another important issue that figured during the talks was the issue of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The Union Government has reiterated that there was no question of privatising the RINL but will work out a methodology to revive the plant. It is also understood that it will not merge it with SAIL. Merger of RINL with a profit-making PSU will adversely affect its share value in the stock market.

Hence, the Union Finance Ministry is said to be working out a special package for RINL. The Chief Minister who will be meeting Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday will be discussing this issue in detail. The Centre may be willing to extend a special one-time package. Naidu will also be meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh on Tuesday.