New capital by September: Jairam

Says leaders like Rayapati, Lagadapati and Mekapati have own business interests in opposing State division.

Ongole: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said that a new capital for the Seemandhra region would be identified and selected by September this year. A committee constituted by the Union Government in another two days would finish the task in the stipulated time frame, he said.

Addressing the Congress party workers at Ongole in Prakasam district, he said that names of Ongole, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Guntur, Kurnool and Nellore were being considered for the new capital.

Jairam Ramesh informed that an industrial corridor would be developed from Visakhapatnam to Chennai. The UPA Government had allocated Rs 1.5 lakh crore for this purpose. He said that the Congress gave special financial package to the Seemandhra region on its own. He dismissed BJP’s claim that the package was offered under pressure from the saffron party. He reminded that special packages were not given when Uttar Pradesh, Madhra Pradesh and Bihar were divided.

The Union Minister said that the Congress leaders like Rayapati, Lagadapati, and Mekapati opposed the bifurcation of the State fearing that their business interests would be badly hit.

But he reminded the people that leaders like Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, Panabaka Lakshmi, Pallam Raju and JD Seelam were still with the Congress. He said that this was the right time to develop the Seemandhra region and a special railway zone would also be set up in the region. He said that international airports would be set up in Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Tirupati. Besides, national level educational institutions like the IIT, NIT, IIM and central universities would be established in the Seemandhra region, he said.

Jairam said that a Krishna Control Board would be constituted in the Seemandhra region for the proper distribution of river water to the region. He said that the farmers of the Seemadhra region need not have any fears in this regard. He lamented that it was highly unfortunate that he was being dubbed as a Telangana agent by the Seemandhra leaders and a Seemandhra agent by the Telangana leaders. However, he said that he was the well wisher of all the Telugu speaking people.

Coming down heavily on the former Chief Minister, N Kiran Kumar Reddy, he said that the latter behaved in the most irresponsible manner at the time of the division of the State while the Union Ministers from the Seemandhra region were happy.