While political leaders opine that construction of the capital and creation of necessary infrastructure at Amaravati will remain incomplete by the next elections, as the State government is bogged down by a resource crunch, a section of the population and the common man in Kurnool seem not interested on the issue.
The capital, which is the seat of governance in Andhra Pradesh, and the buildings to come up should portray a mix of Andhra culture and Buddhist culture, as Amaravati is a prominent Buddhist cultural destination in the bygone era, says Rajya Sabha member and Telugu Desam Party leader T.G. Venkatesh. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is planning buildings that would reflect the heritage and cultural ethos of Amaravati as a capital with the Secretariat and Legislative Assembly and Council standing out, he told The Hindu.
In contrast, CPI(M) State Committee member T. Shadrak charged the government with creating a hype on the capital, but lacking sincerity in completing it. The government did not take the Opposition parties into confidence on the capital issue and works were going on at a snail’s pace, he remarked. Mr. Naidu was not clear whether the capital would be built by companies in Singapore, China or others. Besides the Secretariat and the Assembly, infrastructure such as roads, transport, parks, residential quarters and rest houses must be built, the CPI(M) leader added.
Crores of rupees were spent on temporary structures and faced with a resource crunch, the State government seems to be awaiting Central grants for building permanent structures such as a Governor’s bungalow, Assembly and Secretariat in Amaravati, former Union Minister and Congress leader Kotla Jayasuryaprakash Reddy said. The cost would escalate manifold not only owing to the delay but also due to the loose black soil in the area, he added.
Mr. Reddy claimed that an airport was proposed when he was Union Minister and that it was not a brainchild of Mr. Chandrababu Naidu. The Chief Minister did not solicit suggestions or cooperation from any other party due to his monopolist attitude, he alleged. Hyderabad was well-developed over decades and it would take substantial time before Amaravati, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam wer developed on a par with Hyderabad, he observed.
The government ignored expert engineers in the State and country and was hankering for engineers abroad, CPI Kurnool district secretary B. Ramanjaneyulu said. No discussions were held with parties and the people lacked the feeling of being involved in the capital development, he asserted. He was critical of the government for acquiring 30,000 acres of fertile land, although about 2,000 acres would suffice for constructing buildings in the capital.
The government is in a quandary on funds for building the capital and is functioning from temporary structures, Rayalaseema Janata Party president Kothuru Satyanarayana Gupta said. Recalling that an Ambedkar statue was proposed, he wanted a statue of N.T. Rama Rao installed as he fought for self-respect of Telugu-speaking people. The government must build rest houses for visitors and start Anna canteens for people at Amaravati, he said.
A vegetable vendor, Sunkulamma, had nothing to say when asked about the capital, but merely smiled feigning ignorance. A coconut vendor Basha asked how far the capital was from Kurnool. An eatery owner Sambasiva Reddy said his daily business keeps him busy and he was unaware about it.