The clamour to make Vizag the capital of the new Andhra Pradesh has reached its zenith with political leaders, representatives of people’s organisations, industrialists, academicians, and various sections of the people reiterating the demand.
The only city in Seemandhra, which can boast of rail, road and international air connectivity besides the only major seaport in Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam can become the growth engine for other cities and regions in Andhra Pradesh, if made the capital of the new state.
The largest city in Seemandhra, both in terms of area and population, the city is home to a large number of industries, the headquarters of the fourth largest Railway Division in the country, it has international airport providing direct flights to Singapore and Dubai (via Hyderabad) and a major railway junction. The only city in Seemandhra, which has acquired the status of ‘Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC)’ and its population exceeds that of Vijayawada and Guntur put together.
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In their memoranda to the Committee on the Location of New Capital for AP, the representatives of the respective organisations noted that Vizag meets all the requirements needed for location of the new capital and the arguments that Vizag does not have adequate land for construction of new capital and its location was ‘disadvantageous’ were not based on facts. Uttarandhra Rashtirya Samithi president A. Bhagavanulu, who wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on August 5, 2013 and followed it up with letters to the Home Secretary and others, in his memorandum gave a comparative analysis of Vizag, Vijayawada and Kurnool, based on 32 points, and said Vizag was the best choice to locate the new capital.
On the contention that Vizag was located in a corner, Uttarandhra Adhyayana Vedika convener K. Chandramohan noted that it was not the distance but the resources and the infrastructure to locate the capital that should be considered.
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Uttarandhra Vidyardhi Sena (UVS) president Sunkari Ramana Murthy noted that the fourth largest Railway Division in India – Waltair (Visakhapatnam) – was best suited to create the headquarters of the new zone. INTUC leaders K.S. Mohan Kumar and Mudadla Thammi Naidu noted that Vizag has all the facilities required to establish the new capital.
Telugu Desam leaders Sanapala Panduranga Rao, Putcha Vijay Kumar, Malla Appala Raju, Tammmineni Mohan Rao and Urukuti Pdyiraju submitted a memorandum to the committee members listing the advantages in location of the capital in Vizag.