Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his chambers in Parliament in New Delhi on Friday and urged him to expedite several issues related to Andhra Pradesh.
Reminding the Prime Minister that the Finance Ministry had already agreed to remove component-wise expenditure ceiling on the Polavaram project and release ₹12,911 crore for its first phase completion, the Chief Minister urged him to ensure Cabinet approval for the two pending issues.
He also urged the Prime Minister to release, on priority basis, ₹17,144 crore for speedy completion of the project’s first phase, the proposal of which was pending with the Jal Shakti Ministry.
Arrears from Telangana
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy further sought immediate steps from the Centre to ensure the release of ₹7,230-crore arrears by the Government of Telangana to the AP-Genco for the power supplied to it for three years from 2014.
The Chief Minister also urged Mr. Modi to grant Special Category Status (SCS) to Andhra Pradesh and implement other assurances given at the time of bifurcation as it would help the State attract investments for industrial development and improve employment opportunities.
He further sought Centre’s financial support for the 17 new medical colleges. While classes commenced in five of these colleges, the remaining were under construction.
The Chief Minister also urged the Prime Minister to grant funds for the 55-km six-lane highway that connects Visakhapatnam city with Bhogapuram International airport via Bhogapuram, Bhimili, Rushikonda and Visakhapatnam Port.
High-speed corridor
He also sought that the Visakhapatnam-Kurnool high-speed corridor proposed in the A.P. State Reorganisation Act be extended to Bengaluru via Kadapa, and as part of this, the new railway line should be laid connecting Kadapa, Pulivendula, Mudigubba, Sri Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam and Hindupur for providing proper connectivity to the backward Rayalaseema.
The Chief Minister also appealed to the Prime Minister that the Visakha Metro Rail Project be approved at the earliest. He met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman later.
