Clearing the air on the controversies surrounding the project that is coming up on Rushikonda hill, senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Y.V. Subba Reddy says that “as of now, it has been notified as a tourism project, which shall comprise a hotel, and is being developed by the A.P. Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).”
Speaking to a group of select media personnel here on August 23 (Wednesday), Mr. Subba Reddy said the APTDC hotel that had existed was demolished to build a new one.
“As of now, there is no ambiguity in it. The future is left to the government to decide,” he said.
He further said that the opposition parties were unnecessarily raising a hue and cry over it to gain political mileage. The project was also approved by the authorities concerned, he said.
‘Quality of living has improved’
Referring to the party’s plans to retain power in the 2024 elections, Mr. Subba Reddy said, “Our strongest point is that the quality of living of the people has improved, and the economic issues concerning the underprivileged sections have been addressed.”
On the areas where the government could have done better, he admitted that it failed in media management.
‘False propaganda’
“False propaganda against the government and dragging the Chief Minister into every issue is the sole aim of the Opposition, and it has been doing it for the last four years,” said Mr. Subba Reddy.
He pointed out that the GSDP in 2019 was around ₹1.88 lakh crore, and it had risen to ₹2.72 lakh crore by the end of the financial year 2022-23. The per capita had also gone up to ₹2.19 lakh crore in 2022-23 from ₹1.52 lakh crore in 2019, he said.
“As per a survey by NITI Aayog, the poverty level in the State shrunk from 11.72% in 2016 to 6.7% in 2021. This indicates that the government is meeting the demands of the poor people, and this is going to be our success mantra for the next election,” he added.
Mr. Subba Reddy further said that 1.52 lakh MSME units were set up in the State in the last four years with an investment of about ₹19,511 crore, which created direct employment to about 13.63 lakh people.
This apart, 111 big and small industries were set up with an investment of about ₹56,530 crore, generating employment for 73,000 people, he added.
“Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is keen on developing ports. Four new major ports and five fishing harbours are coming up at a cost of ₹20,000 crore. With the success of the Nadu-Nedu programme, the enrolment of girls in schools has gone up to 91 per hundred students from 81 out of 100 students earlier,” he said.
‘Allegations baseless’
Referring to the controversy surrounding the Tarluvada Konda, Mr. Subba Reddy said it was a blatant allegation, and there was no truth in it.
The TDP and JSP leaders had alleged that lands worth ₹300 crore were being handed over to party Rajya Sabha member V. Vjaya Sai Reddy on a platter by the State government.
“The Chief Minister is against outright sale of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, and, if required, both the Telugu-speaking States will find a solution to stop it as sentiments of a large number of people are associated with it.”Y.V. Subba ReddyYSRCP leader
On his party’s stand on privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), he said that the Chief Minister was against outright sale of the plant, and, if required, both the Telugu-speaking States (A.P. and Telangana) would find a solution to stop it as sentiments of a large number of people from both the States were associated with it.
CM may shift in October
On when would the Chief Minister move to Visakhapatnam, Mr. Subba Reddy said it might happen sometime in October.
“There may be some traffic issues, and we are working out to solve it. Some signals may be removed, or modified, for free flow of traffic, and efforts are on to identify the locations for flyovers and underpasses,” he said.
