Mega capital a foolish idea

Says fact-finding panel of National Alliance of People’s Movements

Vijayawada: The fact-finding committee of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), headed by MG Devasahayam, former administrator-cum-estate officer of Chandigarh Capital Project, visited the city on Sunday in the wake of State Government’s moves to acquire thousands of acres of farm land for the construction of AP capital.

Addressing media persons at the Press Club here, the former IAS officer strongly opposed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s idea of constructing the AP capital on the lines of Singapore and Japan. He termed the acquisition of about 35,000 acres in a fertile area through land pooling for the capital construction was a mere waste of precious resources and efforts.

Devasahayam who met the small and marginal farmers and agricultural labourers, local representatives, ryot leaders and community heads in the proposed capital region, questioned the rationale behind the State Government’s proposal to acquire such a fertile land for the construction of capital city. “About 30 varieties of commercial and non-commercial crops, including foodgrains, fruits and vegetables, are being cultivated in the proposed capital region in Guntur district. The acquisition of vast stretches of farmland for the capital construction will cause shortage of food grains in the State in the long run as the land around the proposed capital region in Guntur district is not so fertile as that of in the villages identified for the capital,” he said.

Citing the example of Chandigarh where “three governments are running in just 15,000 acres of land,” he said: “with the cities of Vijayawada in an area of 15,000 acres and Guntur in an extent of 13,000 acres, there is absolutely no need for a new capital region to have in an area beyond a couple of thousand acres. Only administrative set-up has to be set up in the city. There is absolutely no need for the construction of a mega city just for the State-level official machinery,” he said.

He questioned the Chief Minister about the volume of the industrial activity in the proposed capital region.

The Chief Minister should also spell out the objective of building a mega capital, its character andcomposition and other relevant things to avoid confusion among people about his grandiose plan. “Bulldozing the crops in farm land for the construction of administrative buildings is foolish. Buildings can be built on any land. But crops cannot be cultivated in barren lands.