Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday asserted that Visakhapatnam could be developed as the best capital city in the country within 10 years at a far lesser cost than what is required for Amaravati, the present capital region of the state.
Jagan’s statement at an education conclave in Hyderabad comes at a time when the agitation by farmers belonging to 29 villages of Amaravati in protest against the state government’s decision to create three capitals for the state entered 50th day. It also prompted TDP president and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu to challenge Jagan to hold a referendum on shifting the capital.
“Visakhapatnam already has basic infrastructure in place and it can be developed as the best capital city with only ten per cent of what is required to build Amaravati. I am sure in another 10 years, Visakhapatnam will compete with Hyderabad, Bengaluru or Chennai,” he said.
The chief minister said Amaravati was not a suitable place for an administrative capital city. “It is closer to neither Vijayawada nor Guntur and is about 30 km from both cities. It a virgin land with no proper infrastructure or double road. It requires an expenditure of Rs 2 crore per acre to provide basic infrastructure like roads, drains and water in Amaravati,” he said.
He pointed out that the previous TDP government had spent just Rs 5,677 crores. “The Centre had given Rs 1,500 crore and we cannot expect more. At this rate, how many years will it take to pool Rs 1.09 lakh crores to provide the basic infrastructure?” he asked.
{{/usCountry}}He pointed out that the previous TDP government had spent just Rs 5,677 crores. “The Centre had given Rs 1,500 crore and we cannot expect more. At this rate, how many years will it take to pool Rs 1.09 lakh crores to provide the basic infrastructure?” he asked.
{{/usCountry}}The chief minister said if the government did not take a decision on the capital issue, it would badly affect the future generations. “If we do not take this decision now, and continue with the old order, there would be great injustice to future generation,” he said.
Jagan made it clear that Amaravati was not being shifted as was being propagated. It remains to be the Legislative Capital and the Assembly will function from there. “Visakhapatnam will be the Executive Capital housing the Secretariat and Chief Minister’s office while Kurnool, which was the capital of AP since 1953 to 1956, would be the Judicial Capital. The decentralized development will ensure jobs and opportunities in a big way in the days to come,” he said.
On Tuesday, Jagan’s YSR Congress Party government had got a boost when the Centre declared in the Lok Sabha that it is the prerogative of a state to decide the location of its capital city, and indicated that it will not interfere in the decision of the Andhra government to shift the administrative capital of the state from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.
Meanwhile, addressing the farmers after convincing them to end their 50-hour fast at Rayapudi village in Amaravati, TDP boss Naidu lashed out at Jagan and used a string of unflattering adjectives to vent his anger. He also called Jagan “insane” who did not know how to rule the state and create wealth.
Accusing the chief minister of lying on Amaravati, Naidu said the Centre had acknowledged Amaravati as the capital city of AP and notified it in the political map of India. The President of India also notified Amaravati as the seat of state judiciary.
“The entire country is laughing at Andhra Pradesh for having three capitals. Nowhere in the world does any state have three capitals. We have visualised Amaravati as the world class capital city and the people had given 34,000 acres of land for it. We were planning to bring the best companies from the world to Amaravati,” he said.
Naidu challenged that Jagan conduct a referendum in the state on the location of capital city or go for fresh elections to the state assembly on the plank of state capital. “If you win the elections again, I will quit politics forever,” he said.
He urged the farmers of Amaravati not to get disheartened but continue to fight till they get justice.