The city is destined to be the Executive capital as it has all the trappings of becoming a top destination in the country, Legislative Assembly Speaker Thammineni Seetharam has said.
Mr. Seetharam was speaking as chief guest at the Foundation Day celebrations of Dr. Lankapalli Bullayya College here on Saturday.
Terming the decision taken by Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on decentralisation as courageous, Mr. Seetharam said that centralised development by successive governments in and around Hyderabad had been proved wrong.
“Though Hyderabad was not centrally located, the latter was chosen as capital of the combined State. We put all our wealth and intellectual ability in building Hyderabad. Even the agitation for separate Telangana was due to centralised development, as the remaining parts of the State was underdeveloped,” the Speaker observed.
‘Not against Amaravati’
The government was not against Amaravati, and it would continue to be the Legislative capital. “We will be having all the Assembly sessions there,” he added.
“Vizag as Executive capital will not only benefit the city and its surrounding districts but also the neighbouring States such as Chhattisgarh and Odisha,” he said, and called upon the students and faculty members of the college to support the decision wholeheartedly.
English medium
Justifying the government’s decision to make English the medium of instruction in all the State-run schools, Mr. Seetharam said, “Because of our strength in English, mathematics and sciences, the country is enjoying the demographic dividend. We cannot allow students from the Telugu medium to be left out in the race, and hence English medium is the need of the hour.”
He appreciated the way the college, which was started in 1973, progressed over the years.
On the occasion of the Foundation Day, Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao (VMRDA Chairman) and Dharmana Krishnadas (R&B Minister) received an award for distinguished alumnus in public service.
Varahalu Chetty of the Book Centre received the Lifetime Achievement award. R. Sampath, former Bureau Chief, The Hindu, Visakhapatnam, was given the award for excellence in journalism. N. Usha received an award for excellence in sports.
Visakhapatnam Public Library received an award for its contribution to the field of education and Bhagavatula Charitable Trust for social service.
Founder-president of the Society of Collegiate Education that runs the college and former bureaucrat K. Jayabharath Reddy, former APSCHE Chairman and president of the society K.C. Reddy, college correspondent G. Madhu Kumar, and former ANU Vice-Chancellor V. Balamohan Das were present.
