Vijayawada: YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Sunday accused the TDP-led state govt of attempting to hand over the Ramayapatnam Port to private players at a huge financial cost to the state, alleging that the move would benefit private interests while leaving the public exchequer with a massive debt burden.In a post on social media, Jagan questioned the rationale behind the proposed disinvestment of the port, asking whether it was a development initiative or a “scam.” He said the previous YSRCP govt had taken up the development of Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam and Mulapeta ports as part of its strategy to drive industrial growth in Andhra Pradesh. He said that the YSRCP administration completed key activities, including land acquisition, statutory approvals, financial closure and execution of EPC contracts, while ensuring substantial physical progress on all three port projects before June 2024.Highlighting the economic significance of Ramayapatnam Port, Jagan said several major industrial investments were planned around the project. He cited the proposed BPCL greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex with an estimated investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore, the Indosol Solar giga-scale manufacturing plant and JSW Steel’s proposed berths for handling raw materials required for its integrated steel plant in YSR Kadapa district. These projects, he said, would generate thousands of jobs and significantly enhance the state’s tax and non-tax revenues.
