Govt urged to include W.G. in State Capital Region

Civil societies want Eluru to be made hub of education and industry

Brijgopal Lunani, Chairman and Managing Director of Sri Krishna Jute Mill, speaking at a programme in Eluru on Wednesday. Photo: A.V.G. Prasad

Civil society representatives at a meeting here on Wednesday appealed to the State government to take West Godavari district on board in the development of the State Capital Region (SCR).

They emphasized the need to take the city into consideration while examining proposals for establishment of premier educational institutes like National Institute of Technology (NIT) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the district.

With Kolkata-Chennai National Highway passing through the city and Gannavaram airport and Vijayawada just 60 km away, Eluru could be turned into a hub of education and industries, they said.

The meeting, chaired by Brijgopal Lunani, Chairman and Managing Director of the Sri Krishna Jute Mill, was attended by medical practitioners, tax auditors, advocates, teachers and representatives of private educational institutes and media houses.

The gathering adopted a resolution seeking government consideration for making the stretch of the NH from Hanuman Junction to Tadepalligudem either an educational corridor or a cluster of industries.

It was also resolved that the representatives of civil societies would meet MLAs and MPs from the district seeking their support in pursuit of the development proposal.

D. V. Subba Rao, a tax auditor, said that a proposal to implement a metro rail project between Guntur and Vijayawada was under active consideration by the government, while underlining the need for extension of the metro rail connectivity up to Eluru.

Rough estimates suggested that not less than 5,000 people were commuting from Eluru to Vijayawada daily. Development would become inclusive in real terms if the city was linked up with the metro rail, he said.

Export potential

Listing out the export potential of the district, Mr. Subba Rao said West Godavari exported human hair worth Rs. 200 crore per annum, adding that exports of lace products were also among the major business activities in Narsapur area.

Further B.K.S.R. Ayyangar, an RTI activist, said that there was a talk of expanding the SCR from Guntur to Eluru via Vijayawada, keeping the tri-city concept in view.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Nerella Rajendra was in the chair while secretary V. Ramakrishna Rao welcomed the gathering.