Members of the Andhra Chamber of Commerce appear to be showing the way to political leaders on how to pitch for the Vijayawada region as the new capital of the Seemandhra region.
Expressing displeasure over the lack of political will and strong leadership in the district, the members were determined to approach authorities concerned to showcase the strength of the Vijayawada region to be considered as new capital.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, a day after the Congress Working Committee declared the carving out of the 29 State, ACC president Muthavarapu Muralikrishna said that 60 per cent of the investment in Hyderabad was from this region and it was time to look back at Vijayawada- Guntur- Tenali (VGT) region, as it had the potential to become the capital of Andhra.
Highlighting the strengths, he said, “Vijayawada is strategically located and well connected by road, rail, and air. The region has no water problem. It is strong both financially and agriculturally. It is also the hub for education, as over 70 engineering colleges and four medical colleges are located in the VGT region. With the development of Machilipatnam port and the airport, it will complete all the requirements.”
ACC secretary Prasad R.K. Chukapalli pointed out that it was better to take the decision on the capital as early as possible before the infighting between the districts begins.
“Since there is lack of political will to push the case of the VGT, we are preparing a road map and will present it shortly to authorities concerned. We are proposing a SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) for the development of this region, irrespective of the decision on the capital. If we do not get the capital, we shall make this region the financial capital,” he said.
Former president of ACC M. Rajaiah said that finding 4,000 acres for building the required infrastructure for a capital from an area of 2,000 sq km was not a big deal. Moreover, in the VGT region, the government just needed to scale up things and not build infrastructure from the scratch, as it was required in other proposed regions such as Ongole or Kurnool, he said.
Siddhartha Academy chairman Nalluri Venkateswara Rao said that Vijayawada had been the unofficial capital for cine, agriculture, politics, and finance, and now it is time to make it the capital of the new Andhra state.
