Agriculture Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy on Thursday termed as baseless the allegations of senior TDP leader Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy that the container terminal at the Krishnapatnam Port was being shifted out of Nellore.
Addressing the media here, Mr. Govardhan Reddy alleged that Mr. Chandramohan Reddy was spreading falsehood.
“The container terminal will continue to operate,” the Minister said, and added that additional facilities would be created for operation of more containers at the port.
“If there is any move to shift the terminal to Tamil Nadu, I will be the first to stage a protest against it,” Mr. Govardhan Reddy said, and appealed to the people not to believe in such rumours.
Meanwhile, speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Chandramohan Reddy alleged that Mr. Govardhan Reddy was speaking lies, and reiterated that the last vessel would be leaving the terminal at the port on January 26, and that it would signal the complete closure of the terminal.
“During the TDP regime, the container terminal used to handle over five lakh vessels a year. This has fallen to a mere one lakh now. The terminal is being closed as the Adani group wants to develop the Katupalle Port,” Mr. Chandramohan Reddy said, and added that it would result in over 10,000 families losing their livelihood in the Nellore region.
