AP govt mulls over setting up a new port at Rambilli in Vizag

In a bid to decongest the traffic at Vizag Port, the Andhra Pradesh state government has been planning to set up a new port, in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, at Rambilli in the district. The Mandal headquarters town, Rambilli, which is located 75 km from Vizag, has a beach that is quite popular with the locals.

In this regard, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting with the officials at his Tadepalli camp office on 26 November. During the meeting, the AP Chief Minister directed the officials to consider the factors involved in constructing a new port in Rambilli in Vizag. In the latest, the state government has reportedly agreed to sanction a 27-km stretch along the coastline in Visakhapatnam district for setting up an Alternative Operating Base (AOB) of the Indian Navy. As reported by The Hindu, detailed deliberations have already been held in this regard with top naval officials by the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board and other concerned departments. Along with the AOB at Rambilli, the government has given the topmost priority to build ports at Ramayapatnam, Machilipatnam, and Bhavanapadu.

Proposed to come up at Rambilli, INS Varsha is a naval base that will be developed under Project Varsha for the Indian Navy. As per the reports, this base will be the home of the navy’s new fleet of nuclear submarines and ships. INS Varsha will have a large near-by facility of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and will include modern nuclear engineering support facilities and extensive crew accommodation. The AOB will be designed to support a fleet of eight to twelve nuclear-powered ballistic missile vessels and submarines to be built for the Indian Navy.