Minister for Roads and Buildings, Investments and Infrastructure B.C. Janardhan Reddy on Monday (January 20) said that ports would play a crucial role in the economic development of Andhra Pradesh, which has a long coastline.

The Minister was holding a review meeting with senior officials of the A.P. Maritime Board office at its office to assess the development and progress of port projects.

The Minister reviewed the progress of three ports being developed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction model and directed the officials to complete the works at the earliest. Moreover, the Minister reviewed the status of four fishing harbours and the upcoming low-cost fishing harbours (five in total).

The officials informed the Minister about the previous tender process for six fish landing centres, which failed to attract any bidders as they were issued as a single package. In response, the Minister instructed the officials to divide the project into six separate packages and invite tenders accordingly.

The review also covered the leasing of warehouses at Kakinada Anchorage Port, including both long-term and short-term leases.

The meeting was attended by A.P. Maritime Board chairman Damacharla Satya, Maritime Board CEO Praveen Aditya, CFO Dola Shankar, A.P. Maritime Board chief engineer G.V. Raghava Rao, Kakinada Port Officer Dharmashasta and other officials.