Narasapuram, West Godavari District, November 22, 2022: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced multiple projects and development works at a public event held at Narsapuram, West Godavari district on the occasion of World fisheries day. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone and inaugurated 15 development works worth Rs. 3,300 Cr. One of the biggest foundation-laying ceremonies was the setting up of the Fisheries university in Narsapuram, an important municipality in West Godavari District. Jagan’s government enacted legislation in December 2020 for setting up the AP Fisheries University, and today, the people of the district witnessed the reality, with works being taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 332 Cr. With the objective to impart education in different branches of fisheries science that include research, technology refinement in production, and post-harvest technologies (processing and marketing), this university shall streamline fisheries education, leading to a comprehensive development of the aqua sector.
Speaking to the sea of supporters gathered in Narsapuram, the CM said, “Andhra Pradesh is number 1 in the country in terms of marine exports. If skills and knowledge related to aquaculture are being imparted to our people, it will eventually help in booming the aqua sector in the future. This will be India’s third fisheries university to be established in our state. The tender process has already been completed, and we are set to begin the construction work today. This university will serve to meet the shortage of manpower in the Aqua sector and ensure sustainable development of aquaculture”.
Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for the fishing harbor at Biyyaputippa, which will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 429.43 crore on 150 acres. The harbor will facilitate movement and mooring for vessels capable of deep-water fishing. The harbor located 14 km from Narasapuram will benefit 6,000 fishermen from Narasapuram and Mogalaturu. To this, the CM also added that the government has fast-tracked a total of 9 fishing harbors in the state.
With an aim to provide safe drinking water, The government has sanctioned Rs 1,400 crore for a protected water supply project to permanently address the acute drinking water crisis caused by aquaculture in the combined West Godavari district and saltwater concentration in the coastal area.
In 1921, the erstwhile British government leased 1,754 acres of land to the Narasapuram Agriculture Company Limited in Darbarevu village, a sub-village of Vemulavi in Narasapuram Mandal for 99 years. Since that day, 1,623 farmers have acquired the land and are doing agriculture. But the farmers have no land ownership rights and no revenue record rights. Today, the Jagan government has provided all rights of land ownership and revenue records to those 1,623 farmers. This allows the farmers and their descendants to enjoy the land without objection.
Apart from these major announcements, other works initiated by Jagan’s government today were – the inauguration of the new building of Narasapuram regional hospital and of the public health department, the Narasapuram underground drainage scheme, the Vashishtha Varadhi – the strengthening of the embankment at Buddigavani jetty, the Seshavatharam crop canal development works, the Mogalthur weir crop canal construction works, the launch the works of the Kaja, East Kokkileru and Muskepalem outfall structures, 220/132/ 33 KV Rustumbada power substation and the Moolaparru regulator cone on Upputeru river.