The YSR Congress party government in Andhra Pradesh headed by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is facing stiff resistance from almost all the opposition parties including its friendly Bharatiya Janata Party on the formation of three capitals for the state.
But on Wednesday, the YSRC got unexpected support from Lok Satta Party president and former bureaucrat Dr Jayaprakash Narayan.
He strongly resisted the centralised capital model of Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu and defended Jagan’s decentralised administrative model.
He agreed with Jagan’s argument that Amaravati capital region was converted into a real estate dealing.
“The previous rulers have created a real estate mania in Amaravati and encouraged real estate activity. The land rates were artificially increased and projected it as development,” he said.
Stating that real estate development is not the development of the capital city, JP said it would be disastrous to the state in the long run.
“If the development is concentrated around a single capital, it will affect the long-term prospects of the state,” he said.
Jayaprakash Narayan wondered how small industrialists would come to the capital city, if the land rates go up to Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore per acre.
It is not correct to think that everything should be in and around the capital city and investments worth lakhs of rupees should be made at a single place.
The Lok Satta chief felt decentralised model was the right decision.
“There is a need for decentralisation of power and economy. It will result in development of all regions in the state. It is not a correct decision to concentrate the entire administration at one place,” he argued.
Stating that he was fully supporting the three capitals’ formula, JP said more development would be possible if the capital is located on the coast.
“Location of the capital in a landlocked place will result in lopsided development, as has happened in Hyderabad,” he added.
