N. Chandrababu Naidu is on the verge of committing another historic blunder by investing heavily in the capital region of a cash-strapped Andhra Pradesh (“ >Eye on capital, loss in vision ”, April 20). As the writer points out, taking away fertile tracts of land, which are largely double and triple crop-yielding, will crush those who are agriculture dependent. The 12th Five Year Plan unequivocally states the need for adequate policy attention to smaller cities and peri-urban areas which are on the rise as opposed to large “mission cities”. Political motives appear to have clouded the vision of Mr. Naidu and it is still not too late to rollback his unpopular decision of concentrating foreign capital in one area, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, Mangalagiri.
Vishnu Gunneri,
Srikalahasthi, Andhra Pradesh
The views expressed in the article are nothing but a part of the contents of the report of the committee headed by the writer. His contentions that fertile agricultural land is being damaged may be true but it is inevitable. The planned location for the new capital is unmatched with its excellent road and rail connectivity and no political party should challenge this aspect. I was born and brought up in a village on the eastern bank of Vasishta Godavari in Konaseema. The very fertile land here yielded coconut, paddy, banana and other crops. About half-a-century ago, the life of a farmer with a five-acre holding was far better than that of a government gazetted officer. Now, agrarian distress is forcing him to sell his land for a pittance and migrate to the city. Land-owners are being misled by vested interests.
A.R.K. Raju,
Nellore
The government seems to have disregarded the expert committee’s recommendation to locate the new capital at Donakonda in Prakasam district where large swathes of government-owned dry-lands are available. Further, the concept of a “mega” capital-city is outdated. Across the globe, many such mammoth-sized capital cities are becoming “unlivable” and unsustainable due to the population pressure on limited resources. Modern day, urban-planning now looks at “small but smart cities”. The Naidu government could think of such a concept of having a small, smart capital city to carry out only administrative activities, and decentralised development to handle commercial activities.
Premsai Srinivas Amudhala,
Tirupati
