Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Machilipatnam - A Golden History

Port of diamonds and spices

Ancient geographers like Ptolemy recorded this port in their travelogues.

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

ANCIENT TRADING POST: At the mouth of the Machilipatnam Port.

The Machilipatnam port, which has a long history dating back to 1st century AD, were in the news recently with the local communities making a vociferous demand for its development. For a long period, the port played a key role in the commerce and trade of the region.

It was through this port that the diamonds purchased at Golconda were taken to England. It lost its importance because of wars, natural calamities and pestilence. In 1648-49, the East India Company sanctioned some money for the development of Machilipatnam port. It was just half of what was sanctioned for developing the port at Madras and signalled a period of decline for the Machilipatnam port. The East India Company became cautious after the wars between the King of Golconda and the Hindu Rajas diminished scope for their cloth trade locally. From that time onward less importance was given to the port at Metchlapatnam (the old name for Machilipatnam) than to the port at Madraspatnam (the old name for Chennai).

On Record

According to a history manual complied by Gordon Mackenzie in 1883, the port at Machilipatnam was in existence since ancient times. Ancient geographers (Ptolemy) mentioned a port named Maesolia on the eastern coast. Ships from Persia berthed there for trading. Mackenzie recorded that the coastline near the mouth of the Krishna River had advanced into the sea so much that it was not possible to locate where exactly the ancient port was.

There was no reference to Machilipatnam in the period of Hindu rule because the people were chiefly pastoral with little or no interest in sea-borne commerce. There is an inscription of 1397 A.D. in a temple located in the Machilipatnam Fort and three more inscriptions of the 12th century in the Ramalingaswami temple in Robertsonpet.

Historian Orme wrote that Arabs arrived at Machilipatnam port in the 14th century. The Arabs were engaged in commerce from the Red Sea to South India and some of them might have found their way round Ceylon (old name for Sri Lanka) and eventually to Machilipatnam.

According to Mackenzie the first mention of Machilipatnam in History was in connection with the construction of a mosque under the tolerant rule of the Carnatic Rajas. The rulers of the area were at that time at war with the Bahamani kings and were enlisting Muslim soldiers. In 1478, the army of Muhammad Shah Bahamani II captured Machilipatnam. In 1515, Krishna Devaraya defeated the Bahamani kings and put the port under the care of the Orissa Rajas.

King of Golconda Quli Qutb Shah captured the area from the Orissa Rajas and it became part of the Golconda kingdom for nearly half a century. It was under the patronage of the Golconda kings that the European traders first established themselves at the port town.

The Portuguese were the earliest to establish base at Machilipatnam and the Dutch followed suit. The English entered only in 1611 and established a factory there.

According to travelers, who visited Machilipatnam, the primary product that was exported from the port was cloth weaved and dyed at villages in the hinterland. There were references of saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate), turmeric, spices and miscellaneous articles like spotted deer and waterfowl being exported from the port.

The imports included all sorts of goods manufactured in England. There was a lot of demand for superfine scarlet and green coloured cloth. East India Company had an agent at Golconda for the purchase of diamonds.

War and natural calamity prevented the port from growing any further. In 1686, the Emperor of Delhi defeated the dynasty of Golconda. The Dutch saw an opportunity to take possession of the port. The next year the East India Company declared war against Aurangzeb. In July that year his troops advanced as far as the fort at Kondapalli.

The Dutch, English and French deserted the port town thereafter. Great Distress was reported in this part. There was an epidemic in the port town in 1687 and several Europeans died.

The Dutch factory was damaged extensively by a huge storm on October 13, 1779. Nearly 20,000 people living in Machilipatnam and nearby villages were killed by the storm.

Bandar (Machilipatnam) will NEVER be the SAME Again


First it started with a trickle...now it is pouring projects near Machilipatnam. This is going to create multi fold employment opportunities even to places like Vijayawada, Gannavarm etc.

After all, even VIZAG (Vishakapatnam) was once a sleepy small village until the port came there and transformed the entire landscape. The same story is going to repeat here

Read about it here...(Telugu Version)

Port Construction Work Begins...A Dream Come True!


After a
........prolonged fight

.............political wrangles by various parties

...................strong resolve of Machilipatnam people amid adversaries

...........................the PORT's foundation has been done by CM and the story has an HAPPY ending!

Read all about it here in the picture along with this post ( Telugu version)

Machilipatnam Port - Past, Present, Future - Telugu version


Though Machilipatnam port's foundation Stone was laid today ( April 23, 2008) by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, it had a checkered history.

The story is captured elaborately in the picture along with this post ( It is in TELUGU Language)

The port would take 24-36 months for completion and once ready the entire region is going to get transformed.

HAPPY Days - A GAINT Leap for Vijayawada & Machilipatnam - PORT Foundation Day


BS Reporter, Hyderabad April 23, 2008

A Dream come True! A Small Step for India, but a GAINT Leap for Machilipatnam and Vijayawada People.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, would lay the foundation stone for the proposed Rs 1,590-crore Machilipatnam deep water port on Wednesday.

Maytas Infra-led consortium consisting of Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC), Sarat Chatterjee & Company (VSP) Private Ltd and SREI Infrastructure Finance Limited is developing the port that is expected to be operational within a period of two years. Located on the banks of Goguleru creek, about 30 km north of Machilipatnam, the port will have 12 berths initially.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Krishna University soon at Masula

Thursday April 17 2008 14:20 IST

MACHILIPATNAM: An expert committee led by AP State Higher Education council chairman KC Reddy, principal secretary Asutosh Mishra, vice-chancellor of the Acharya Nagarjuna University V Balamohan Das on Wednesday inspected the 100 acre site at Sirivellapalem near Machilipatnam for the proposed Krishna University campus. The committee also visited the National College in Machilipatnam to explore the possibility of setting up the university’s administrative block there.
______________________________________________

Panel inspects sites for proposed Krishna University
It will temporarily function from Andhra National College

Committee to submit its report to the government soon.Venue of permanent campus will be announced by the Chief Minister


MACHILIPATNAM: A permanent campus for the proposed Krishna University is likely to come up on a 200-acre site at Tavisapudi near here.

A high-level committee headed by K.C. Reddy, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), and which included Principal Secretary for Higher Education Asutosh Mishra and Acharya Nagarjuna University Vice-Chancellor V. Balamohandas, inspected the site along with another one of 100 acres at Sirivellapalem.

Minister for Animal Husbandry Mandali Buddha Prasad, who has been taking a keen interest in getting a separate university for colleges in the district set up here, district Collector Shailaja Ramaiyer and Joint Collector G. Ramanarayana Reddy accompanied the committee.

Report sought

The committee members later inspected the Andhra Jatiya Kalasala (Andhra National College) campus, and indicated that the university would begin functioning from the beginning of this academic year (2008-09) in one of the blocks of the college temporarily.

Mr. Reddy asked the correspondent of the college to send him a report detailing how many rooms could be spared for housing the administrative offices of the new university.

YSR’s visit

Mr. Buddha Prasad later told The Hindu that the committee would submit its report to the State Government in the next couple of days. The place for the permanent campus of the university and the date on which it would begin functioning from Andhra National College campus would be announced by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on April 23 when he comes here to lay the foundation stone for a new port.

Local MLA Perni Venkataramaiah said efforts were being made to have the Chief Minister lay the foundation stone for the university campus on April 23.

He said the ball had been set rolling for the setting up of a university for Krishna district in the wake of the Chief Minister’s assurance to this effect during his visit in October 2006.

Source:

http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/17/stories/2008041750720200.htm

Monday, April 21, 2008

Hyderabad to Machilipatnam NH-9 work to Commence: Your ROAD to Riches!



Hyderabad, April 15: The long-delayed expansion of the National Highway-9 into a four-lane road between Hyderabad and Vijayawada is expected to begin in December 2008. It was supposed to have commenced in March. The Vijayawada-Machilipatnam portion of the same highway is also expected to be taken up then. Expansion of these two roads is being undertaken as part of the National Highway Development Programme phase-3 on Build-Operate-Transfer basis.

The Vijayawada-Machilipatnam stretch was also included in the same project because it ensures connectivity to the upcoming Bandar Port. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is currently scrutinising the pre-qualification bids for the Rs 1,460 crore project and the process will be completed by the end of April. Sources said the agreement with the successful bidder will be signed in June.The National Highways Authority of India had taken up the four-laning of the section on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under National Highway Development Project (NHDP), phase III.

"The successful bidder will then be given six months for financial closure and commencement of the project works. The entire expansion programme is scheduled to be completed in two-and-a-half years from launch," said the NHAI project director, Mr Srinivasulu. The NHAI had planned to take up the Hyderabad-Vijayawada road expansion in two packages but the Planning Commission was against it and instead wanted the entire work to be undertaken under a single project. The Planning Commission also insisted that a pre-qualification bidding process be followed as it is a massive project.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Andhra Pradesh CM to Lay Stone for Machilipatnam Port

YSR to lay stone for port on April 23

MACHILIPATNAM: Ahead of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s scheduled visit on April 23 for the laying of a foundation stone for the construction of Machilipatnam Port and several other works, Krishna district Collector Shailaja Ramaiyer and local MLA Perni Venkataramaiah (Nani) on Monday reviewed arrangements for the visit.

They inspected the proposed site at the Police Parade Grounds for a helipad for the Chief Minister’s helicopter to land, and the place for laying of a foundation stone for the port at Pallepalem village of Machilipatnam mandal. The Collector asked the representatives of Maytas, which is executing the port project, to raise a pylon in the shape of a ship at the site for the Chief Minister to unveil. Dr. Reddy is also scheduled to address a public meeting at the Hindu College grounds, for which an alternative site was suggested by Ms. Ramaiyer at the bypass road-NTR cross road.

The Collector and the MLA also visited the places where the Chief Minister will lay a foundation stone for the four-lane expansion of the road from Koneru centre to railway station and the underground drainage works at the Moodu Sthambala centre.

Source:

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/16/stories/2008041655040600.htm

Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves lease of land for Machilipatnam port

Andhra Pradesh cabinet approves lease of land for Machilipatnam port


Friday, April 04, 2008

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet has approved lease of 6,262 acre of land and a concession period of 30 years for the Machilipatnam port at Gilakaladinne.

The project is executed by Maytas Infrastructure, Nagarjuna Construction Co, SREI Infrastructure Finance and Sarat Chatterjee & Co consortium.

The government has okayed the concession period of 30 years from the date of commercial operations, extendable by 20 years provided the concessionaire shall develop the port asset as per the agreement. After signing the agreement, the port will have to commence commercial operations within 36 months.

Source:

http://www.projectstoday.com/newsr.asp?newsid=21042

Maytas secures mandate for MEGA Machilipatnam port

Hyderabad, Jan. 17

Maytas Infra has secured the mandate to develop a port at Machilipatnam with the State Cabinet formally approving a higher cost for construction.

Initially, the project was to be developed at Gogileru with an outlay of Rs 1,255 crore. With pressure from local people and political circles, the Cabinet approved the development of project at Machilipatnam, even though it means an additional investment of about Rs 300 crore.

The developers have been asked to go ahead with the project with an assurance that the Government would pitch in for the funds. As per proposals, the foundation stone for the port development is likely to be laid by the UPA Chairman, Ms Sonia Gandhi, in April.

Functions

Addressing newspersons after the State Cabinet meeting here on Thursday, the State Information Minister, Mr Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, said the port is aimed at handling 12 million tonnes of cargo, which includes coal, fertilisers, cement and rice among others.

The port may also handle inputs for power plants and fertiliser units, and encourage ship building and repair. The Government is also evaluating a ultra mega power project here and may propose this to Centre.

When the expression of interest was issued, the project was to come up at Gogileru. However, those dependent on Machilipatnam port protested against the move to have the port at Gogileru, about 30 km from Machilipatnam.

The State Government had appointed a committee of secretaries to examine the issue on various technical parameters. The Committee may consider and recommend about additional cost for the developer, he explained.

Machilipatnam - The Future "MONEY" patnam!!!

About Machilipatnam

Machilipatnam also known as Masulipatnam or Bandar or Masula.The Second e-municipality in India.The Krishna district Head quarters.The town existed since 3 rd century BC (Satvachana Period). Flourishing sea trade was carried out from Masula port. The port is located on the south eastern or Coromandel Coast of India. It was a 17th century port for French, British and Dutch trade. It has a medium fishing harbour which can accommodate 350 fishing vessels; has a carpet-weaving industry; other products include rice, oil seeds and scientific instruments. This town is a rail way terminus and an educational center.

Machilipatnam is known for its Kalamkari textiles and
paintings made using vegetables dyes. As a kalam (pen) is used in the technique of painting, it was named "Kalamkari Painting". During the 17th Century, western traders were attracted by this port. with the development of port, there will be many industries which will create large employment leading to growth of the city and it's surroundings. With that the golden age of the past of the glorious city will be revived.

Why You Should choose Machlipatnam ?
1) The Bandar Port is being developed by MAYTAS with around 1200 crores
2) Special SEZ is being planned which when completed, will provide direct
employment to 10,000 people and indirect employment to another 10,000 people
3) NH-9 extends up to Machilipatnam is getting ready - a 4-lane highway- from Hyderabad to Vijayawada and from Vijayawada to Machilipatnam
4) Machilipatnam Sea port is already awarded to MAYTAS and work is
being planned to commence from Dec 2008.A grand opening by CM is being contemplated
5) Automobile cluster is coming close to Autonagar on NH-9
6) A 2000 MW thermal power plant is coming close to Bandar.
7) An expressway and a fast track rail service is being planned from Shamshabad to Bandar.
8) Industrial corridor just like the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
is being planned from Hyderbad to Vijayawada covering Nalgonda, Suryaraopet, Nandigam, Vijayawada and extending up to Machilipatnam.