Amaravati:Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday alleged that the state government was trying to handover the Machilipatnam port to Telangana, but the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) dismissed the allegation.

The leader of opposition said behind the scene efforts were on to handover the port, also known as Bandar Port, to the neighbouring state. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief tweeted the YSRCP government on June 28 issued an order RT-62 in this regard but didn't make that public. The government also tried to mislead the Assembly over the issue, he alleged. Ever since the YSRCP came to power in Andhra Pradesh two months ago, the TDP has been targeting it for 'surrendering' the state's interests to Telangana over sharing of river waters. He recalled that it was TDP government that took steps for development of the Machilipatnam deep water port and for the port-based industrial corridor. Terming ports a gift by the nature to the state, Naidu said the YSRCP government had no right to give it away.

The TDP, he said, would not tolerate bartering of state's interests by the YSRCP and its leaders for selfish reasons. Naidu's son and TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh also slammed the state government over Bandar Port and wondered if it would also handover governance to Telangana. Meanwhile, YSRCP leader Ambati Rambabu said there was no truth in Naidu's allegation. Despite the government denying in the Assembly any such move, the TDP chief was spreading falsehood by citing some media report, he said. The Machilipatnam port in the Krishna district is about 350 km from Hyderabad. While Andhra Pradesh has nearly 1,000 km coastline with several ports, Telangana is a landlocked state.(IANS)

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