Congress workers staged demonstrations at Chilakur and Kota in SPSR Nellore district urging the Centre to ground early a public sector port at Dugarajapatnam as approved by Parliament under the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Act.
The workers raised slogans protesting against the “'undue delay” in taking up of a major development project approved by the Union Cabinet and also the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, to benefit the backward south coastal Andhra Pradesh at the time of bifurcation in 2014.
It was unfortunate that both the present governments at the Centre and in the State were trying to scuttle the project with an alleged “ulterior motive” to favour some private players operating in its vicinity and putting paid to the hopes of unemployed youth in Sullurpeta, Naidupeta, Gudur and adjoining areas, said Congress leaders Poola Chandrasekhar, Panta Srinivasulu Reddy, Vemaiah, Ramanaiah who led the protest.
When 14 ports could function in Gujarat, why the maritime State of Andhra Pradesh should not have 10 ports in its over 1,000-km coastline, they asked. The Congress on coming to power at the Centre would take up the project on priority basis, they told the gathering.
