Railway zone for Vizag soon, says Haribabu

Railway zone for Vizag soon, says Haribabu

‘We will also focus on other pending projects in the region’

Reiterating that a separate railway zone will be created with Visakhapatnam as its headquarters, BJP State president and MP K. Haribabu has said focus will also be on other pending projects in the next two years.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Mr. Haribabu said: “The establishment of a separate railway zone in Vizag is just a matter of time and it will be achieved.”

Attributing the win of P.V.N. Madhav, TDP-BJP combine candidate for North Andhra graduate constituency, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Sabka saath, Sabka vikas’ and BJP’s development strategy, Mr. Haribabu pointed out that in the next two years, the party would focus on long-pending projects earmarked for Visakhapatnam.

Six-lane corridor

“The six-lane Anandapuram-Pendurthi-Anakapalle corridor has been sanctioned by the Central government for ₹2,200 crore. Tenders have been called for and also received, but they have not been opened. The Centre has clearly asked the State government to first tackle the ground-level issues and the Ministry has instructed that the tenders will not be opened till at least 60% of the land has been acquired and handed over to the NHAI,” Mr. Haribabu said.

Quoting another issue, he said: “The foundation for 500-bed hospital as requested by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has been cleared by the ESI Corporation and the foundation stone also has been laid by Minister Bandaru Dattatreya. But the work has not started, as the ESI Corporation has asked the State government to hand over the land through a G.O. which is pending. There are about 30 such pending projects and there are some basic issues that have to be sorted out, and we will be working in this direction in the next two years.” To a query on disinvestment of the DCI (Dredging Corporation of India), Mr. Haribabu said the matter was taken up by Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya, who visited the city recently and interacted with the employees, with his senior Nitin Gadkari, and it was agreed upon that there would be no strategic disinvestment of 51%.

On the demand for increase in the number of Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Mr. Haribabu said the A.P. State Reorganisation Act-2014 provided for increase from 175 to 225 in A.P. and 119 to 153 in Telangana.

However, Article 170 of the Constitution did not allow the increase till 2016. It was a larger issue and had to be done through a constitutional amendment.

Mr. Madhav thanked the TDP and the BJP workers for his victory. BJP city president Nagendra and TDP leader Pattabhi were present.

Source:The Hindu