Chandrababu Unveils Plan to Turn AP into East–West Cargo Hub

Nara Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to position Andhra Pradesh as a key East–West cargo corridor, leveraging port-led development to drive economic growth.

Reviewing port and fishing harbour projects at the Secretariat, he stressed timely completion of ongoing works to international standards and called for faster rollout of cargo operations.

He instructed officials to accelerate operations at Ramayapatnam Port, Machilipatnam Port, and Mulapeta Port, with Ramayapatnam and Machilipatnam expected to be fully operational by December 2026.

The Chief Minister said Ramayapatnam Port is poised to become a major cargo hub, supported by a refinery from Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and a planned rail link to the Kadapa Steel Plant.

He emphasised attracting cargo from neighbouring states such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Karnataka, while reiterating the goal of establishing a port or fishing harbour every 50 km.

Naidu also highlighted global disruptions affecting Gulf ports, noting that India’s eastern coast ports are emerging as safer alternatives.

He further directed officials to speed up construction of fishing harbours at Budagatlapalem Fishing Harbour, Pudimadaka Fishing Harbour, and Kothapatnam Fishing Harbour.

Senior officials, including Krishna Babu and Abhishek Kumar , attended the meeting.