Andhra will be the richest State after division: Raju

D Gopi

Vijayawada: Development should be spread to all the regions equally and at least from now on, various projects that are expected to come up in the State should be shared equally among all the three regions of Telangana, Coasal Andhra and Rayalaseema, said senior advocate and Jai Andhra leader, U Srinivasa Raju.

Speaking to The Hans India, Srinivasa Raju, also a senior member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, pointed out that concentration of development in one place – Hyderabad – had become bone of contention among people who are fighting for division or unity of the State.

He said that there is vast potential for development of agriculture, aqua-culture and exploration of marine products in Seemandhra region. The region has vast natural resources like gas and other minerals. The coastal region has become hub of educational activity with high quality professional educational institutions offering wide range of courses competing with global educational institutions, he said.

He regretted that the region was denied of institutions like IIT, IIM and Central University in the past 60 years of the State’s existence. He also regretted that the successive governments had failed to establish an agriculture university in the region though it has been the abode of agriculture.

He said that the region has potential for developing textile parks, industries and research stations on commercial crops like tobacco, chillies, turmeric and groundnut, which are cultivated in the region. He said that weavers from the region were neglected and the agriculture which was at its best before 1956 was pushed to last place.

Srinivasa Raju demanded that the government should establish research institutions on marine products and gas reserves. Similar institutions should also be established in Prakasam district where bauxite mines exist. He said that the successive governments had concentrated development in Hyderabad neglecting rest of the State, which should not happen in future.
He wanted the government to promote export of sea products and thus earn good amount of foreign exchange for the State. “If divided, the Andhra State would be the richest in the country with long coastal line and agriculture base,” Srinivasa Raju asserted.