VIJAYAWADA/VISAKHAPATNAM: Amid the ongoing war of words over the proposal to shift administrative capital to Visakhapatnam, Assembly Speaker Tammineni Sitaram added fuel to the fire by saying that going to Amaravati is like visiting a desert in Rajasthan.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Sitaram said a capital city should be pride of the people of the State. “Every individual in the State should get a feeling that the capital is his own. One should get an emotional feeling that it belongs to him, but that feeling is not there in Amaravati,’’ he said adding that he feels like going to a desert in Rajasthan when he visits Amaravati.
Sitaram added that the proposal to have three capitals is welcomed by the people of the State and asked those who are opposing the proposal to know about the recommendations of GN Rao Committee before opposing it. Reacting sharply to the comments of the Assembly Speaker, TDP leader Varla Ramaiah questioned whether Sitaram was running the Assembly from the desert. “If he can’t see the development in Amaravati, I will take him in my car and show him what Amaravati is,’’ he said.
‘Developed plots will be given to farmers’
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botcha Satyanarayana on Sunday said decision on GN Rao Committee would be taken after thorough discussion by the State Cabinet on December 27. Speaking to media persons in Visakhapatnam, the MAUD minister said the GN Rao Committee submitted a 1,000-page report on integrated development of the State.
The committee recommended continuation of the legislature in Amaravati. The government will ensure that there was no loss for farmers who parted with their lands under the land pooling scheme for capital development. The farmers will be given developed plots as promised to them, he said.
Stating that the government had produced proofs of insider trading in capital region of Amaravati, the minister asked those, who were making allegations of insider trading in Visakhapatnam to come up with proof instead of making baseless allegations.
Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharitha said it has been mooted to create three capitals to ensure equitable development of the State.
She said the expert committee decided to locate executive capital in Visakhapatnam to pave way for development of backward region of North Andhra.
People in all three regions were wholeheartedly welcoming the decision to decentralise power, Sucharitha said.
Referring to protests by farmers in Amaravati, the home minister allayed fears of agitating farmers stating that as promised by the previous government, developed plots will be given to farmers. She said it was natural to feel aggrieved when some facilities were being taken away.