VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has felt that if Collectors formulate plans for the development of their respective districts, and implement them effectively, the State will achieve speedy growth.
Speaking on the final day of the Collectors’ Conference at the State Secretariat on Wednesday, Naidu said district-wise development plans were discussed at the State-level for the first time in the history of Andhra Pradesh.
Describing Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Amaravati, Tirupati and Anantapur as power hubs of five zones in the State, he directed the Collectors to formulate development plans of districts in accordance with the respective zonal strengths.
Informing that a senior official has been made incharge of each zone, he asked the Collectors to implement their plans in coordination with the zonal incharge and the District Incharge Minister to achieve better results.
From April onwards, all the senior officials should make field level visits for three to four days every month to know the facts at the grassroots level, study the problems, and resolve them in the real time, he said.
Recalling how Communists came down heavily on him about three decades ago when he initiated measures to promote tourism, Naidu said he made it clear at that time itself that, “There is no Communism, Capitalism or Socialism. There is only one ism that is tourism.” “I also said the focus would be only on tourism and other aspects in the future to create wealth for poverty eradication, and that materialism would prevail,” he recalled.
Mentioning this on the floor of the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday, CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao told the House that Naidu made it clear 30 years ago that tourism is the only sector that does not need any funding, and that all the tourist places should be developed. “At that time when Naidu made this statement, we differed with him, and expressed our ire. Now, it is evident that there is ample scope for the development of tourism sector without spending much,” the CPI MLA said.
Referring to the statement of the CPI MLA, Naidu said, “It took so much time to realise the fact. So, if all the Collectors properly understand what I am saying now, and implement it in real time, excellent results can be achieved.”