Krishna district trails in industrial development

Vijayawada: Krishna district has lagged behind in industrial development compared to other cities districts like Visakhapatnam, Nellore and East Godavari. Construction of ports and other infrastructure facilities have helped Vizag, Nellore and East Godavari to get rapid progress in industrial development front.

Though Krishna district is strategically located in the centre of the state and has logistic support with good road and rail network, entrepreneurs are not coming forward to start industries.

Highlights:

• Krishna district basically depended on Agriculture for many decades
• No industry worth mentioning in the district
• High cost of land prices, power tariff are the prime hurdles for industrial growth
• AP Government to launch Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) Corporation

Not even a single Special Economic Zone is in the district. There is no industry worth mentioning developed in the district since independence. High cost of land prices and lack of interest among the entrepreneurs for setting up industries are some of the prime reasons for the sorry state of affairs as far as industrial development is concerned.

Due to availability of plenty of Krishna water for two crops, the district has mainly depended on the agriculture and allied sectors. Dairy, fisheries, horticulture also contributed for the economic growth of the district particularly in Delta region.

Though the Government of Andhra Pradesh had introduced the single Desk clearance system to sanction permissions for setting up industries, there is poor response from the investors. District Industries Centre General Manager A Sudhakar has said the department would sanction clearance in 14 days or 21 days for setting up industries.

High cost of land prices and excess power tariff are two prime hindrances for the establishment of industries in the district, said Potluri Bhaskara Rao, General Secretary, Andhra Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He felt the entrepreneurs are asking power tariff concessions from the Government. Moreover, there are no worth mentioning raw materials in the district. All these factors lead to poor industrial development in the district.

Proposed Industrial parks at Jaggaiah Pet, Mallavalli, Veerulapadu in Gannavaram mandal are yet to be take off. APIIC Zonal Manager Visweswara Rao has said the objective of APIIC is to develop infrastructure facilities to promote industries. He said efforts were on to develop industrial parks in the district. He said Mega Food Park would come up in Mallavalli with investment of Rs.700 crore.

Keeping in view of the importance of promoting Micro and small scale enterprises, the Andhra Pradesh Government is inaugurating the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu would inaugurate the MSME Corporation in Vijayawada on Tuesday. The officials, bankers and entrepreneurs will attend the meeting and explain the Government policies on development of industries in the state.

By Md Ameen