Srikakulam: Bhavanapadu Port renamed Mulapeta Port; Jagan to lay foundation stone on Apr 19
Farmers, who have given their lands for the project, requested the officials to change the nomenclature to Mulapeta port
By Newsmeter Network Published on 17 April 2023 3:14 AM GMT
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government has renamed the proposed Srikakulamās Bhavanapadu Port as Mulapeta Port.
It may be recalled that the locals of Mulapeta and Vishnuchakram villages have been protesting demanding to rechristen Bhavanapadu Port as Mulapeta Port.
Farmers also expressed that the government didn't pay compensation as per local market value. The YSRC government has set up Bhavanapadu Port Development Corporation Limited under the supervision of the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB) to execute the project.
The AP government on Sunday issued an order with regard to the renaming of the port. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay a foundation stone for the Rs 4,000 crore project on April 19.
The experts in the maritime industry said that Mulapeta port will be in a strategic position close to the border of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. Hence, the traffic from these close proximity states may also be attracted to this new port coming up in the Srikakulam district.
Ever since its inception, the project had been named Bhavanapadu Port and all the correspondence for the acquisition of lands was made in the name of the establishment of greenfield Bhavanapadu Port. The limits for the development of a minor port in Bhavanapadu were notified as early as 1979. However, the state government modified the port limits, extending the project southwards beyond Tekkali Creek, covering Mulapeta and Vishnuchakram villages, in 2022. Factors such as the proposed future expansion, approach channel alignment, and adequate provisions to ensure the mitigation of possible environmental challenges due to the construction of the harbor, were the reason behind this modification.
Farmers, who have given their lands for the project, requested the officials to change the nomenclature to Mulapeta port instead of Bhavanapadu port, as Bhavanapadu is not at all covered in the present proposed port area. After requisition by the Srikakulam district administration, the state government gave its nod to change the name to āMulapeta Portā and issued an official order on Sunday. State minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said that the new port will spur economic activity in the Srikakulam region.
