BJP Rajya Sabha member TG Venkatesh has welcomed Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s proposal of three capitals, saying it will contribute to the all-round development of the State. He, however, said that it was his personal opinion.
While welcoming the decision to make Visakhapatnam the Executive capital and Kurnool the judicial capital and retaining Amaravati as the legislative capital, Mr. Venkatesh said a mini Secretariat should also be set up in Kurnool.
This would ensure development of all three regions and prevent future demands for separation from the backward regions, he asserted at a press conference organised by the Vizag Journalist’s Forum (VJF) here on Monday. He recalled that when Amaravati was chosen as the capital, the people of Rayalaseema region had demanded that the Capital region be made a free zone apart from making Kurnool the winter capital.
Mr. Jagan was now keen on making Visakhapatnam the Executive capital and he was right in doing so. Both North Andhra and Rayalaseema regions had remained backward for long, and justice should be done to the regions. The three capitals proposal could be a smooth process once contentious issues were sorted out.
Money matters
He said the three capitals could be built at a lesser cost than the temporary buildings constructed at a huge cost by the previous government. Ample rocky land was available both in Rayalaseema and near Visakhapatnam, where buildings could be constructed. He took exception to the charge that Kurnool was prone to floods and said that such incidents were rare. On the contrary, the severe heatwave in the Amaravati region during summer results in sunstroke deaths.
“Visakhapatnam, which is protected by Dolphin’s Nose, is the safest place to locate the capital,” he said.
To another query, he said: “I was among the first to raise the demand for special status for AP. The former Chief Minister took a ‘U’ turnafter agreeing to the special package, thinking that Mr. Jagan will get the credit for the special status if it was granted by the Centre.’’
