Juvvaladinne Privatisation hits Fishermen livelihoods

YSRCP leader and former minister Dr. Seediri Appala Raju strongly condemned the coalition government for attempting to hand over fishermen’s assets to private entities, warning that such decisions are directly hitting the livelihoods of fishing communities. Addressing the media at the YSRCP district office in Srikakulam, he alleged that the move to allocate nearly 400 meters out of the 800-meter berth at Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour to a private defence company is unjust and will severely impact thousands of fishermen, especially as even the repair ‘quay’ is being handed over, leaving no space for boat maintenance. He asserted that this would force fishermen back into distress migration.

He criticised Minister Nara Lokesh for making irresponsible and personal remarks instead of addressing development issues, and questioned what tangible contributions Minister Kolli Ravindra had made for fishermen in his political career. In contrast, he highlighted that under Y.S. Jagan’s leadership, 10 fishing harbours, 4 ports, and 6 fish landing centres were initiated to improve fishermen’s livelihoods. He accused the government of falsely claiming credit for projects completed during the previous regime and pushing privatization only to benefit select private interests.

Appala Raju demanded that alternative locations such as Ramayapatnam, Krishnapatnam, or Dugarajapatnam be considered for private entities instead of occupying infrastructure meant exclusively for fishermen. He also urged the government to stop politicising the non-operational GO 217, clarifying that it was kept in abeyance during the YSRCP regime without harming fishermen’s interests. Raising serious concerns, he alleged that boats under government custody going missing points to the involvement of TDP leaders, questioning the lack of police action.

On Mulapeta Port, he advised the government to utilise available salt lands instead of acquiring fertile agricultural lands, warning of public backlash otherwise. He further criticised the government for inaugurating Juvvaladinne within two months of coming to power without executing any real work, and then moving to privatise it under O&M contracts. Calling the developments a peak example of anarchic governance, he warned that any attempt to privatise fishermen’s infrastructure would be met with strong resistance, and that YSRCP would lead a statewide agitation if the government fails to revoke the private allocations and complete pending harbour works.