Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (AP,) on the 26th of August, met Amit Shah, the Home Minister of India and Gajendra Shekhawat, the Jal Shakti Minister in Delhi.
During his meeting, Jagan Mohan Reddy clarified the Ministers about the ongoing issue of State Capital and said he is planning to assign four new capitals to Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking about the reason to assign four new capitals, Jagan Mohan Reddy said AP will have 4 capitals with a purpose of better development. He proposed Vizianagaram, Kakinada, Guntur and Kadapa to be the new capital cities of AP, whereas, Amaravati will be the administrative capital.
The Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) also planned to constitute a Regional Development Board, which will take care of all the developments in the mentioned capital cities of AP.
The reason to shift the State Capital from Amaravati came after recent Krishna River flood, which led to cut off in road links between Amaravati and Vijayawada. In addition, the YSRCP Government, political leaders, local farmers and other members of the business fraternity claimed, Amaravati is not fit for the developments and should not be selected as the Capital City.
The discussions over Amaravati came after Botsa Satyanarayana, the Minister for Municipal Affairs in AP raised controversy with his comments regarding Amaravati.
Mr. Botsa said, “Much of public money is wasted by the previous government in the development of the Amaravati region. Our government has carried out proper plans as far as flood management is concerned. Most of the areas in the state capital region are facing a flood threat. Soon all matters will be discussed in the state cabinet.”
The cost of construction is also said to be significantly higher in Amaravati as compared to the other areas in the state. Several political parties including the opposition Telugu Desam Party and Janasena, however, hit out at the government’s plans to shift the capital city from Amaravati.
He further added, “The previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government and leaders purchased huge amounts of land before announcing the capital. The government will explore the names and details of those who are indulging in this. We can only give more clarity over this after further discussions.”
Jagan Mohan Reddy also discussed the reverse tendering process in the Polavaram Project. The Jal Shakti Ministry wrote a letter to the YSRCP Government and asked them not to go with reverse tendering for the project.
Polavaram Project is one of the major projects of Andhra Pradesh, which will resolve the water scarcity in the State and enhance the irrigation for farmers.
However, due to the corruption issues, the project is in halt and will start soon after the State Government will hire a new constructor for the same.
The Polavaram Project is expected to be completed by June 2020.
Stay tuned for further updates.
