Revive and speed up projects on hold: CM

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has criticised the YSRCP government for halting numerous infrastructure projects initiated by the Telugu Desam government from 2014 to 2019. During a review meeting on the Infrastructure-Investment Department on Tuesday, Naidu directed officials to re-list and expedite the completion of projects that were cancelled or suspended by the previous administration.
Naidu expressed frustration that the YSRCP government had impeded wealth creation by stalling critical infrastructure initiatives. He emphasised the need to get these projects back on track swiftly. The CM specifically highlighted the importance of advancing projects under the Andhra Pradesh Maritime Board, AP Maritime Infrastructure Development Corporation, Special Purpose Vehicles, and AP Inland Waterways Authority. He also called for the rapid completion of ports and fishing harbours.
The CM instructed officials to proceed with the Inland Waterways Authority projects, which had been initiated after extensive planning. He outlined additional infrastructure goals, including the construction of airports and airstrips in Dagadarthi (Nellore district), Kuppam (Chittoor district), Nagarjunasagar (Palnadu district), and Moolapet (Srikakulam district). He noted that while these projects had previously received approval and completed land acquisition, the YSRCP government halted progress. Naidu aims to establish airports and airstrips in 12 to 14 locations across the state and also directed officials to explore constructing airports or airstrips in Tadipatri (Anantapur district) and Tuni (Kakinada district). Additionally, he proposed setting up flying training centres at Kurnool Airport and designing projects to facilitate air cargo transport.
Naidu also announced plans to reorganise various state corporations. The AP Aviation Corporation will be brought under the General Administration Department (GAD), while the AP Digital Corporation will be transferred to the Information & Public Relations Department (I&PR). The AP Towers Corporation will be merged into AP State Fiber Net Limited. He highlighted that the AP Fiber Net project, which was completed at just 10 per cent of the projected cost by using existing utility poles, has constructed 24,000 km of Fiber Net and provided 900,000 connections.
However, due to inefficient governance under the previous administration, the number of connections had fallen to 500,000, and service quality had deteriorated. Naidu criticised the YSRCP government for accumulating a debt of Rs 1,258 crore on this project, despite offering affordable internet and cable TV services through set-top boxes at Rs 149 per month.
The Chief Minister directed the reinstatement and restoration of services for the Content Corporation, Drone Corporation, AP Towers Corporation, and Gas Infrastructure Corporation. He also called for integrating these entities with the CCTV camera network for enhanced monitoring and management.