VISAKHAPATNAM: Thousands of people took part in the Visakha Garjana rally in support of the State government’s plan for three capitals. Braving heavy rain, the people enthusiastically participated in the rally organised by Joint Action Committee (JAC), which kicked off at Ambedkar statue near LIC Building and culminated in a public meeting at YSR statue on Beach Road in the City of Destiny.
Displaying placards, banners and posters, the crowd marched in favour of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s proposal of Visakhapatnam as the executive capital of the State.“Born and brought up in Vizag, I want to see my city develop in all aspects. Also, establishing several software firms here will help us settle in our native places and stay close to our families,” opined Sridhar, a Vizagite.
“Vizag deserves to be the capital of Andhra Pradesh. This should have been done long back, but it is never too late to act upon things,” said another Vizagite, supporting the three-capital plan. While the majority of them support the CM’s proposal of three capitals, a section of people also signalled disapproval of the move. “We want the City of Destiny to be the way it is today. We only want the authorities to provide us with proper roads, drainage systems, clean beaches and basic infrastructure,” stated a couple from Narasimha Nagar.
A group of people expressed their fears, citing environmental problems. “We will surely witness heavy traffic. That will lead to pollution in the city. Building infrastructure means consuming more land. We would rather increase forest cover and protect our city’s diversity than watch it getting more polluted,” they expressed.
Many students and IT employees are eagerly waiting for more companies to set up their branches here in the city. “We neither support nor oppose the three-capital idea. We are waiting for more companies to establish their branches in Vizag so that we can live with our families,” stated a group of software engineers. They added that the lifestyle of metropolitan cities is not as great as what people think it is, but cities like Visakhapatnam help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.