Repeated assertions by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu that Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri (VGTM) region was best suited for capital of Andhra Pradesh reflect the tremendous potential that Vijayawada and Guntur have for development into a mega city. By virtue of their proximity to those cities Tenali and Mangalagiri are equally poised for growth.
Their location in a radius of just 40 km and availability of physical and social infrastructure are major factors that tilted the scales in their favour in selection of the capital city. No other region in the State has two Municipal Corporations (Vijayawada and Guntur) and two municipalities (Tenali and Mangalagiri) situated so close to each other.
The region is well connected by road and rail. Gannavaram airport is set for a major expansion with the Central government giving it due priority after the announcement on the capital was made. The seaport at Machilipatnam is expected to take off sooner than later with the government firmly resolving to facilitate development of 10 ports by establishing the Maritime Board.
The Krishna delta spread across Krishna and Guntur districts produce an impressive range of crops. Guntur district has a large number of spinning mills and more number of cold storages than any other district in the State. Vijayawada and Guntur have been major centres of learning for several decades. The two districts have six major institutions – NTR University of Health Sciences, Acharya Nagarjuna University, Krishna University, Koneru Lakshmaiah University, Vignan University and IIIT at Nuzvid – there by eliminating any scope for dearth in the human resource required to propel the future growth plans.
The Government General Hospital at Guntur, which was recently equipped with a super-speciality wing Dr. Podila Prasad GMCANA (Guntur Medical Alumni of North America) Super-Specialty and Trauma Centre, is the second best government hospital in the coastal districts after King George Hospital at Visakhapatnam. The two districts have no dearth of tourist spots.
Barring cement factories at Dachepalli (Guntur district) and Jaggaiahpet (Krishna), the two districts have no big manufacturing industries. This is a bane but there are some positive signs of improvement on that front emerging with government laying greater emphasis on industrialisation.
“The choice of VGTM as capital region is undoubtedly the best choice as it has readily available infrastructure and plentiful natural and human resources. The productivity levels in these districts are highest in the State”, Confederation of Indian Industry Vijayawada Zone Chairman V.V.M. Krishna told The Hindu .
He exuded confidence that the calculations of the government will not go wrong, but then, enough care must be taken to ensure that physical infrastructure development is given immediate priority.
