Port inauguration an election stunt, criticises TDP

Machilipatnam: Former Minister and TDP Politburo Member Kollu Ravindra has termed the commencement of Machilipatnam port works before the elections as an election stunt and opined that the port, which is constructed with four berths seems to be like a harbour, not a port.

He said the TDP government had laid foundation stone for the construction of the port with 25 berths with an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore. However, the YSRCP government had claimed that it was spending Rs 5,500 crore just for constructing four berths, he alleged. He questioned how the port would be built when the government is still unable to pay salaries to the employees in time citing funds crunch. He alleged that the YSRCP government is trying to hoodwink the people once again in the name of port construction.

Reacting to the comments of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and MLA Perni Nani during the port inauguration public meeting on Monday, Kollu Ravindra held a press meet here on Tuesday. He said, “We launched port works with the contractor, who got approval from the then Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy but Perni Nani impeded the works by stopping the contractor. Jagan Mohan Reddy had tried to stop the port construction when the TDP was in power by instigating the farmers. There is no use for Bandar by this port, for which CM Jagan Mohan Reddy laid foundation.”

Ravindra stated that Jagan and Perni Nani have no right to talk about the port. He assured that after coming to power they would construct a major port with 24 berths at Machilipatnam for fulfilling the public’s long-held aspiration. Referring to Machilipatnam Medical College, Ravindra said that during the TDP regime, they got permission from the Central government to establish medical college in Machilipatnam and asserted that it was a totally Central government-sponsored scheme.