Top Firms in Race for Hyderabad to Machilipatnam NH9 project

Hyderabad, May 4: Construction majors such as GMR, L&T, Nagarjuna and Reliance Constructions are vying to grab the lucrative National Highway 9 expansion contract. The Centre had cleared the NH9 expansion project as part of the National Highway Development Programme phase-3 on Build-Operate-Transfer basis. Besides the Hyderabad-Vijayawada stretch, the Vijayawada-Machilipatnam stretch was also included in the programme to ensure connectivity to the upcoming Bandar Port.

Sources said the National Highways Authority of India is currently scrutinising the pre-qualification bids for the Rs 1,600-crore project and the process would be completed by the month-end. In all, 19 bidders have applied for the pre-qualification process for the Vijayawada-Hyderabad stretch (181-km) and 21 for the Vijayawada-Machilipatnam portion (64-km).

NHAI sources said the financial bids are expected to be finalised by the end of May and the agreement with the successful bidder will be signed in June. The successful bidder would be chosen on the basis of the company’s turnover, financial capacity, work experience and network, said the sources. Meanwhile, the state government has initiated the process of acquiring about 1,200 acres of land in Nalgonda and Krishna districts for the expansion of the Vijayawada-Hyderabad NH9. Besides, another 450 acres has to be acquired for the expansion of NH9 stretch between Vijayawada and Machilipatnam.

The Union Transport Secretary, Mr Brahma Dutt, visited Hyderabad recently and reviewed the project with the Transport Department principal secretary, Tishya Chatterjee, and other senior officials. He wanted the land acquisition process completed well in time so that the expansion works would not be hampered. There are 66 villages between Vijayawada and Hyderabad through which the NH9 passes and where land has to be acquired.

Revenue authorities in Nalgonda and Krishna districts completed the basic survey of land in 61 villages while the remaining steps are expected to be completed soon. "A formal notification for acquiring 1,200 acres of land will be issued soon after the survey work is completed," said a NHAI official overseeing the project. The NHAI has decided to build by-pass routes to prevent destruction of some villages on the Vijayawada-Hyderabad stretch.

Courtesy : Deccan.com

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.

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.
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Panel inspects sites for proposed Krishna University

It will temporarily function from Andhra National College

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

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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