Maharashtra Minister lauds Andhra Pradesh’s model of developing greenfield ports

On Thursday, Maharashtra’s Minister of Fisheries & Ports Nitesh Rane met with Andhra Pradesh’s Minister for Roads & Buildings and Infrastructure & Investments, B.C. Janardhan Reddy. During their meeting at the Secretariat, they discussed greenfield ports, fishing harbours, shipbuilding, and logistics extensively.

Janardhan Reddy informed Rane that his government was actively working on a plan to transform Andhra Pradesh into a maritime, port, and logistics hub for the entire country. The state plans to spend ₹4,500 crore on each greenfield port. He highlighted the significance of these ports for export-import trade in landlocked states like Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Additionally, Reddy mentioned that the Central government had approved the Vijayawada–Amaravati Water Metro project and identified nine locations in Andhra Pradesh as suitable for seaplane services. The Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board (APMB) sought permission from the Central government to acquire around 20,000 acres of coastal salt lands to facilitate future maritime infrastructure development, Reddy said.

APMB CEO C.V. Praveen Adhithya briefed Rane about the steps the Andhra Pradesh government was taking to develop ports and enhance the logistics sector. Rane praised the development of three greenfield ports in Andhra Pradesh under the landlord model, stating that other coastal states could emulate this approach.

Both ministers agreed that states with extensive coastlines, such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, had immense opportunities to excel in the maritime sector. They emphasized that sharing ideas and policies could benefit the maritime industry if these states collaborated. Additionally, Rane’s delegation included Maritime Board CEO P. Pradeep, Chief Port Officer Praveen Khara, and Executive Engineer Manish Metkar, alongside APMB Chief Engineer G. Veera Raghava Rao.