Guntur ideal capital for Andhra Pradesh?

The moment Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced new capital will be located between Krishna-Guntur districts and finalised Thullur mandal as ideal place for capital, people of the region were overjoyed.

Now the question is whether Guntur is ideal to become the state capital. It is known that development index plays an important role in the selection of capital. As such, Krishna district ranks first with 61.7 and Guntur comes next with 54.7.

The Guntur-Vijayawada region qualifies in all other aspects and the index will go up once the proposed Eastern Corridor or the PCPIR becomes a reality. Even when other factors like political, economic, administrative,centrality and micro factors like education, water, transport, health are considered-Guntur and Vijayawada score over other places like Visakhapatnam and Ongole. Vizag though has all advantages, is not centrally located.

Even considering risk hazards like earthquakes, floods etc, Guntur is at low risk compared to other places. Going by all these reports submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chandrababu has decided on Thullur as capital region. And for now, his decision seems wise.

By Pramod Nandivada