Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has asked the Union government to support expanded maritime infrastructure in the state, including a shipbuilding centre at Dugarajapatnam and a terminal at Mulapeta Port. The requests were made during a meeting with Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday, according to a statement reported by PTI.
The discussion covered the development of ports in Andhra Pradesh and the infrastructure needed to support wider maritime-based economic activity. Naidu sought the Centre’s cooperation for establishing the proposed shipbuilding centre at Dugarajapatnam and for developing a terminal at Mulapeta Port in Srikakulam district.
According to the statement, the chief minister told the Union minister that Andhra Pradesh was accelerating industrial and commercial development by leveraging its long coastline. He proposed developing shipbuilding, ship repair and marine engineering alongside existing and proposed ports.
The state government said these activities could create employment and attract investment, but the statement did not provide projected job numbers, investment figures, project costs or a construction timeline. It also did not indicate that the Union government had approved either the shipbuilding centre or the proposed terminal.
Naidu said the development of Mulapeta Port would give a major boost to commercial activity in North Andhra. He sought central support for the port terminal and the allied infrastructure required for its development. The statement did not specify the nature of the additional infrastructure, the agencies responsible for implementation or the next approval stage.
The requests place port-linked industrial activity at the centre of Andhra Pradesh’s proposed development strategy. Shipbuilding and repair facilities would be intended to operate in conjunction with port infrastructure, while marine engineering would support the wider maritime economy. However, the meeting’s immediate outcome, as described in the statement, was a request for cooperation rather than a confirmed project sanction.
Further details on the proposed Dugarajapatnam shipbuilding centre, the Mulapeta terminal and the allied infrastructure will depend on decisions by the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and the Andhra Pradesh government. No implementation schedule was provided in the statement.
