Bizz Buzz Bureau Amaravati

AndhraPradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday sought greater coordination among Southern States and proposed connecting Kuppam to a proposed bullet train corridor in South India.

Speaking at the Southern Zonal Council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Mahabalipuram, Naidu called for greater cooperation among the Southern States and said trust and mutual cooperation between the Centre and the States were essential to resolving pending issues.

Naidu proposed a bullet train corridor connecting AP, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with the route passing through Kuppam, his Assembly constituency. He also called for a transport network connecting Amaravati, Bengaluru and Chennai. The Chief Minister suggested setting up a common logistics network and dry ports across Southern States. He also called for linking the southern power grid with the national grid.

He proposed a joint consortium of universities and skilling institutions from the Southern States and a mutual aid force for inter-State cooperation during disasters. He also called for a common spiritual tourism circuit connecting Tirupati with Kashi, Ayodhya and the Char Dham.

“Southern States contribute around 31 per cent to India’s GDP and the Southern economy could reach $10 trillion by 2047,” Naidu said, adding that the region must emerge as a key economic force in building Viksit Bharat. He spoke during the Southern Zonal Council meeting headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Mahabalipuram. Naidu pointed out that issues concerning institutions listed under Schedules IX and X of the AP Reorganisation Act remained unresolved even after 12 years and urged the Centre to expedite the settlement of bifurcation-related issues. He sought resolution of the resource deficit and issues related to Section 56. He also sought expedited approvals for the Dugarajapatnam Port and refinery proposals, besides approval for the Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada Metro Rail projects.

He sought Central support for the Kadapa-JSW railway link and favoured diversion of more than 500 TMC of water through the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project. He said the project could provide a permanent solution to Tamil Nadu’s water problems and called for coordinated efforts by AP, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to address inter-State river-water issues.

Later, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar praised Naidu for speaking about the development of all States with a broad vision as a senior leader.