Amaravati’s fate hangs in balance

Hyderabad: The row that Amaravati could no longer be the capital of Andhra Pradesh was sparked by the minister of municipal administration and urban development Botcha Satyanarayana. After Amravati was inundated in the floods, Mr Botcha had announced that Amaravati is not the right place to be a capital. "The villages on the Krishna basin were badly affected when 8 lakh cusecs of water were released. What will be their fate if 11 lac cusecs are released?’ asked Mr Botcha.

He also added that the Sivaramakrishnan committee had rejected Amaravati as the capital, as it is a flood-prone area.

His remarks created a flutter and Telugu Desam (TD) leaders from Krishna and Guntur districts lambasted the ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress (YSRC) for attempting to shift the capital from Amaravati. Former minister Devineni Uma said, "This is a betrayal to the sacrifices of farmers who gave away 33,000 acres of land for the capital. We will never allow the YSRC to play at its will."

Kinjarapu Atchannaidu added, "We do not consider the words of Botcha. Let Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy spell out his stand." The main opposition party have alleged that the ruling party is looking to build the capital in Donakonda as their leaders have already purchased huge tracts of land.

On Sunday Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan visited the capital region and talked to the farmers. He assured the farmers that his party would be with them and said that changing the capital is not a good idea.

While the top brass from the YSRC is mulling changing the capital, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has maintained his silence on the issue.

Interestingly, Rajya Sabha MP T.G. Venkatesh said that the state should have four capitals that justify the aspirations of every region. Unless there is an official announcement made on the issue, the charged atmosphere will refuse to diffuse.