Donakonda, the sleepy mandal headquarters in Prakasam district, in all likelihood, will figure in the list of choices for the State capital, to be submitted by the K.C. Sivaramakrishnan Committee with the panel members giving an indication to this effect during their visit to the district on Sunday.
The committee members K.T.Ravindran and Aromar Revi, after visiting the aerodrome in disuse, railway station and Edlacheruvu in the mandal, expressed satisfaction over the presentation made by the district administration on the advantages of Donakonda, a place of conglomeration of Rayalaseema and Andhra cultures.
District Collector G.S.R.K.R.Vijaykumar told media here on Monday that the committee was particular that the large chunk of vacant government lands in the district should be put to proper use.
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Western Prakasam which formed a part of erstwhile Rayalaseema would be more acceptable to both Rayalseema as well as Coastal Andhra, he opined.
Earlier, State Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao explained that the capital could be developed here at a lesser cost with 68,741 acres of land including 40,654 acres of government land, in blocks of 100 acres to 2,000 acres available in and around Donakonda.
The Collector, in his presentation to the panel, had explained that the Donakonda-Kurichedu region, which was part of erstwhile Nellore district and close to Markpur, a part of erstwhile Kurnool district, could be developed as a green field city on the lines of Naya Raipur for a population of one lakh with a cushion to expand to accommodate five lakh people. Speaking on the water availability, he said that 10 tmcft of Krishna water could be drawn through Darsi branch canal from Nagarjunasagar Reservoir to the region.
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He also highlighted the advantages of the VANPIC lands, an alternative site for capital and said two sea ports at Voderavu and Ramayapatnam could be developed, apart from an airport at Aluru.
Buckingham canal which passed through the VANPIC lands, could also be made navigable.
The district administration has also identified 1,800 acres of land for setting up educational institutions like IIT, IIM, IISER, NIT and Central university.