VIJAYAWADA: Former chief secretary IYR Krishna Rao, who faced the wrath of the Telugu Desam leaders for pointing out the government’s failure through his social media posts, again took a dig at Naidu saying that the chief minister’s dream capital city Amaravati is nothing but a sheer waste of energy and public funds.In a symposium on the topic of Environment and Amaravati conducted by Green Soldiers, headed by green activist Pandalaneni Srimannarayana on Thursday, Krishna Rao opined that the State government has no concern for greenery and further questioned what made Naidu to take fertile lands for his capital city while having landed at other parts of the State.
Rao further said state government did not consider the report that he submitted after collecting the data of government lands across the state during bifurcation in the capacity of Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA). “I told them (Naidu’s government) that developing small cities will be more beneficial instead of wasting energy on constructing a new capital at that point time. In Donabanda, the government has huge lands and it i the right place to set up administration blocks. But, they did not pay heed and pooled more than 33,000 acres of multi-cropped agricultural land from 19 villages,” he objected.
Comparing with the emergence of world class capitals in countries like USA, Australia, Malaysia and Brazil, Krishna Rao expressed his worry that Amaravati will become a slum as there are no provisions made for informal sectors. .“Amaravati is destined to become a lifeless slum,” he opined, adding that government played a mind game for pooling the land.
“Washington DC, which was selected as a capital in 1790 took a century to develop into a major metropolis. But Naidu is claiming that he will bring infra just in five years,” he told.
He also said that his role as a Chief Secretary during the process of Amaravati was put aside when he expressed his opinion thorough his CCLA report.
“Constructing a capital takes decades. Naidu should stop imposing his dreams on farmers and the common man. Sivaramakrishnan Committe reported to the National Green Tribunal that 275 acres of land is enough to construct an administrative capital. Unfortunately, the State government ignored the directives,” added Rao.