The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) will make all efforts for the establishment of a separate railway zone with Visakhapatnam as the headquarters, according to AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

He was speaking with the media here on Monday after the conclusion of the three-day conclave of the party, Mahanadu. He said his Government would stretch every nerve to complete the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari by 2019 and it would be a great boon for the development of the State. Visakhapatnam district would get Godavari waters and it would give a great boost for developing agriculture and also for many industries coming up in the district.

He reiterated his Government's resolve to develop Visakhapatnam as a major manufacturing, IT and tourism hub. The Purushottampatnam lift irrigation scheme on the Godavari would be completed by August-September this year, he added.

He said the TDP had accepted the special package offered by the Centre in lieu of the promised special category status, as a clear-cut assurance was given that there would be no loss for the State. Therefore, it was not correct to politicise the issue.

He thanked the Union Government for all the assistance given to the State after bifurcation and said the TDP would be a good friend and political ally of the BJP. He said his party had joined the NDA, keeping in mind the State’s interests.

A resolution was passed at the TDP "Mahanadu", urging the Union Government to confer "Bharata Ratna" posthumously on N.T Rama Rao, the founder of the TDP.

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