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MAKING VISAKHAPATNAM AND

TIRUPATI /KURNOOL/KADAPA

AS SEEMANDHRA CAPITALS

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Table of contents

Sr. no Content Page no.

1 Introduction 3

2 Why Hyderabad should not be a Joint capital for long? 3

3 What makes a capital? 3

4 Ongole 4

5 Seismic hot spots in Andhra Pradesh 5

6 Five seismic zones 6

7 five seismic zones 6

8 Loose soil: Bapatla belt to lose capital race 9

9 Kurnool 10

10 Rajahmundry 11

11 Vijayawada-Guntur 13

12 Gannavaram Airport project hits a roadblock 15

13 Tirupati 17

14 Visakhapatnam 18

15 Do AP Need a New Capital built from Scratch ? 22

16 WHAT SHALL BE AND WHERE SHALL BE THE FUTURE AP TO BE SET UP?

23

17 Administrative city 1- A Case for Rayalaseema 24

18 Administrative city-2- A case for Uttarandhra 24

19 Metro Rail 32

20 Proposed MRT corridors 33

21 Visakhapatnam as Administrative city 2 34

22 land usage in greater visakhapatnam municipal corporation in the year 2010

36

Disclaimer: The author do not have any interest in any of the locations mentioned in the

report, this report is made out of sheer passion and is based on actual information, scientific

study, logic and reasoning.

A note to the committee

"Unfortunately there are many lobby groups in AP whose single point agenda is to amass

wealth at the cost of rest of the people and the interests of the State. Hence committee is

requested to go through the issue impartially and come up with the right solution based on

merits and keeping balanced regional development into consideration by taking into account

aspirations of backward regions of Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra reigons as well else it may

lead to further disintegration of the residual state of Andhra Pradesh".

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Introduction

In the present scenario the tussle in AP is for capital. Since major investment and interest is

focused only around capital, hence, there is some intense lobbying going on about state

capital. However, most Seemadhra people couldn’t come out from the severe and rude

shock they got with of formation of 29th State called as Telangana with Hyderabad as joint

capital for 10 years before AP deciding on new capital. If we analyse many the so called

state capitals like Bhubaneswar, Patna, Lucknow, Shimla, Dehradun, Raipur, Bhopal,

Shillong, Guwahati, Aizwal, Imphal, Kohima, Itanagar, Panaji, Chandigarh, Bhopal, etc, places

like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada-Guntur and Tirupati in the residual AP are better endowed

compared to those capitals cities. As of now 6 cities are vying to become the capital. Before

discussing about pros and cons of each location, I shall discuss why Hyderabad shouldn’t be

accepted as a joint Capital for a long time then I shall put forth the criteria for ideal capital

city in Seemandhra and then finally pros and cons of each location.

Why Hyderabad should not be a Joint capital for long?

There is a perception among many people in AP that there is no place worth other than Hyderabad to be

a capital. My question to all of them is what makes a city a capital? This is answered in my subsequent

paragraph. The following are the reasons why Hyderabad shouldn’t be a joint capital for long.

1. It is geographically far off from Seemandra and the nearest point to Seemandra border is

150 km and due to geographical distance it is not feasible to control a state away from its

State’s borders it’s like London controlling India during British period.

2. Hyderabad shall overshadow the development of Rest of Seemandhra with focus again on

Hyderabad and claims over which shall have to be foregone in future.

3. Why should AP government pay for economic growth of Hyderabad when they have to

forego the claims in future? The Govt. of AP should identify the capital immediately and

start building the infrastructure immediately.

4. It shall be an insult to the “Pride and self respect of Seemandhra people” if we still hang on

to the Hyderabad. Now that the situation in Hyderabad is polarized and there shall be more

violent attacks on innocent Seemandhra people.

5. The spirit of Seemandra people is indomitable and shall rebound back from any major crisis

and should take the division in a similar manner.

6. It is better in the larger interests of Seemandra.

What makes a capital?

The following are the reasons why a city deserves to be a capital.

1. It has to have a fairly developed infrastructure.

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2. It should be well connected with the rest of the places in the state, country and the world?

3. It should be a hub of business, industry, education and medical facilities and all other support

services.

4. It should be free from law and order problems and free from any kind of communal disturbances.

5. People should be friendly and the place should be conducive for business and development.

6. The capital is the pride of the state and a place that can be best showcased to the world.

7. It should be a place which is worth living and settling.

8. It should have enough lands for its growth and development.

Based on the above factors now let us carefully analyze pros and cons of six locations viz Ongole,

Kurnool, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada-Guntur, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.

Ongole

It is headquarters of the District by name Prakasam. As per the official census report 2011, the

population of the town is 2, 02,826. Ongole is famous for its Ongolu Gitta (Ongole breed of oxen).[1] This

is one of the major Zebu cattle breeds in the world. Till 2009 it was a relatively unknown town in AP.

With the Telangana movement intensifying in 2009 certain vested interests purchased huge tracts of

land at a cheaper rate and are now lobbying for making it as a new capital of Andhra Pradesh.

The following are the reasons that are usually cited as the protagonists of Ongole.

1. Central location in AP and is near to Rayalaseema.

2. A huge chunk of 80,000 acres of government land is available in and around Ongole to build the

capital from the beginning.

3. Land prices being cheaper and hence would make real estate affordable for many people.

However the reasons against Ongole making an ideal capital destination are overwhelming and

is hence not worth considering.

1. It doesn’t have any proper infrastructure. Building infrastructure is very costly as well as

time consuming when properly developed cities like Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada-Guntur

and Tirupati are available there is no necessity for developing new and underdeveloped

places like Ongole.

2. Due to its peculiar geographical location ie., being perpendicular to the coast in the event of

any tsunami it shall be worst affected. The similar topography existed in Nagapattanam in

Tamil Nadu and is hence worst affected during the tsunami of 2004. Similarly in AP the

worst effected is Prakasam district in the same 2004 Tsunami.

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3. Ecologically and geologically this region is very fragile and any excess stress on its ecology

and Geology shall lead to adverse reactions to the Human developments sometimes it may

prove to be very costly and putting such a stress is to be avoided. Details of which are

elucidated in the subsequent paragraphs.

4. Prakasam, Nellore, Krishna, East Godavari, West Godavari and Guntur districts are the most

cyclone prone districts in AP. Hence this place shall be frequented with cyclones of high

intensity cyclone and it would be better not to make it as a capital city.( I can attach the

reports at later date)

5. Further Ongole is very vulnerable for floods due to peculiar geographical conditions. Even

the mildest rain shall make it drenched with water due to black cotton soil, which due to its

hydroscopic nature expands rapidly to moisture and shall not let the water to percolate

deeper into the soil and hence place gets flooded and remains muddy most of the time.

6. It is one of the most seismic prone locations. The following article from the leading

newspaper “The Hindu” is a testimony for it. However putting huge investments in such a

location is a very risky proposition when there are safer locations.

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The revised map of seismic zones in Andhra Pradesh has identified Ongole area as the most earthquake-prone in this part of the country, instead of the Bhadrachalam belt as was believed earlier.

The map has been revised following fresh research inputs from national institutions like National Geophysical Research Institution and Geological Survey of India. Based on this map and accompanying report, the Disaster Management Department is expected to formulate an action plan for vulnerable areas in tune with the A. V. S. Reddy Earthquake Manual.

FIVE SEISMIC ZONES

While India is divided into five seismic zones depending on the degree of their vulnerability, the entire north from the Himalayas down to Koyna in Maharashtra, barring a few patches, are rated as susceptible to quakes with a very high damage risk and accordingly listed in Zone V and IV.

Andhra Pradesh lies on the Peninsular Indian Shield (PSI) long considered as stable and not vulnerable. The earthquakes of Koyna (1967), Latur (1993) and Jabalpur (1997), however, demolished this theory, according to the report. Subsequently, a few zones of faults in the crystal layers of the Peninsular region causing quakes, had been identified, it said.

Many northeast-southwest trending fault-bound basement ridges and depressions traversed by transverse features like cross-trends have been found, especially in Ongole, Vizianagaram and other areas. These are likely to cause reactivation with a progressive build up of stress.

The geographical areas of AP fall in Zone I and II where both vulnerability and damage risk is held low. Ongole area spread over as many as 30 mandals which faced 12 earthquakes in the past 30 years, including two big ones in 1967 and 1959 with magnitude of 5.4 and 5 on Richter scale, is held as the most active zone in the State.

FIVE SEISMIC ZONES Eastern Ghats belt and Godavari Valley are found to be tectonically active. A reference is made to the State's biggest earthquake (5.7) that occurred in Bhadrachalam area of the Godavari Valley in 1969 when the nearby Kinnerasani reservoir was disturbed. Vizianagaram area of the Eastern Ghat belt experienced a series of quakes, including one with an intensity of 5.5 in 1917. The report says if an earthquake with a magnitude of 5 occurs in PSI, it may take even a century for the stress to build up again.

SEISMICALLY ACTIVE AREAS

Pinapaka, Gundala, Kothagudem, Manuguru, Yellandu and six other mandals in Khammam district where Bhadrachalam lies, and 10 mandals in Vizianagaram district, including Garividi and Nellimerla, are listed as seismically very active.

In Hyderabad, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills are included in this category along with the neighbouring areas of Medchal, Shamirpet, Shankarpalli, Serilingampalli, Rajendernagar and Moinabad.

For ready reference refer to the following link.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/ongole-most-quakeprone-in-

ap/article3318093.ece

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Another testimony is the recent earthquake in Prakasam and Nellore on 8th August 2013. The

following is the news report from “The Hindu”.

Mild tremors in Prakasam, Nellore

Panic-stricken people came out of their houses as mild tremors occurred in and around Lingasamudram in Prakasam district on Wednesday.

The impact of temblor was experienced in Lingasamudram as also in eight surrounding villages, Kandukur Revenue Division Officer(RDO) P.Bapi Reddy said.

There were no casualties or major damage to buildings because of the tremor which was felt, in among other villages, Pentrala, Mogilicherla, Peddapavani and Rallapadu at about 3.20 pm, official sources said.

Nellore Staff Reporter writers: Mild tremors were felt in Vinjamuru, Duttaluru and other villages in Udayagiri area in the Nellore district at 3.25 p.m. The tremors were of small magnitude , said D. Srinagesh, head of seismology, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad. Vinjamuru SI D. Venkateswara Rao said that a big sound heard before the tremors were felt. No damage was reported.

For confirmation refer to the following link.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/mild-tremors-in-prakasam-

nellore/article5001736.ece

7. The nearest domestic airport is Gannavaram airport (160km) which takes nothing less than 3 hours to

travel one side and both sides shall take minimum 6 hours. Further the nearest international airport is

Chennai airport which is about 320 km which takes nothing less than 5-6 hours. Why shall an investor or

a higher official or dignitary travel such a long distance that too by road? Rather they shall prefer to

invest in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Kochi, etc where there is an international airport.

There is news that there is a plan to construct the airport near Ongole the following is the status of it.

ONGOLE: The district administration has finally selected 634 acres on Ongole-Kothapatnam

road 7.5 km from here for location of airport. According to reliable information available

here on Thursday, District Collector K Devanand recommended the land for airport in the

feasibility report he sent to Infrastructure Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited (INCAP).

Though the land is beset with several problems, the Collector chose it because the other

two alternative lands were found to be not feasible.

The Government poramboke land to an extent of 634 acres is available between Alur and

Allur villages on Kothapatnam road.

Easy access

Though the land was assigned to poor people two decades ago, they did not occupy it till

now. So the district administration plans to cancel the pattas and alienate the land to INCAP

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for development of airport. The flyover constructed across the Chennai-Vijayawada railway

lines near Ongole station provides easy access from Ongole to the proposed land. A four-

lane road need to be laid over a distance of 7.5 km from the flyover to the airport. The land

is in rectangular shape with length of four km from east to west which would be suitable to

lay the runway for landing of even big aircract.

But it is black soil with a thickness of 18 feet and foundation need to be laid to a depth of

10-15 feet for any structure. Further ground water can not be exploited due to salinity and

poor yield which makes water transport essential. Further, water logging conditions prevail

in the proposed area and heavy logging is expected during monsoon. The land is eight kms

from the sea. The administration had considered two other alternative sites – at Gundlapalli

and Tangutur on Chennai-Kolkatta NH No About 700 acres is available with Andhra Pradesh

Industrial Infrastructure Corporation at Gundlapalli and it is accessible not only for Ongole

but also for Guntur, Tenali, Chilakaluripet, Narsaraopet etc and is best suited for airport. But

APIICrefused to part with the land stating that it was acquired for promoting industries.

About 600 acres of private land belonging to tobacco baron Bellam Kotaiah and his family

members is available near Tangutur. He is willing to donate the land on the condition that

the airport be named after him. He is also willing to sell away the land at government rate.

The district administration found both these lands are not feasible. So it recommended

Kothapatnam land despite its inherent weaknesses.

Source http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/21/stories/2007122151350300.htm

8. It is away from business establishments as well as centers of excellence. Added to this is

that it is far from raw material sources. Hence it may not offer any advantage to the

business and industrial establishments.

9. Developing infrastructure in Ongole requires huge investment as well as time and in the

mean time the investors may seek other alternative destinations.

10. It is touted by vested interests who want to make some quick bucks in real estate deals

and are not genuinely interested in the development of AP as well as the welfare of the

citizens of AP. As per reliable sources the land that costed Rs. 4-5 lakhs per acre four years

ago is now costing more than a crore and even the land in the most interior location is

costing Rs. 50 lakhs and if it is declared as the Capital of AP it may be more costlier than any

other location in AP and the advantage of being a cheaper location shall be lost. It shall be

the costliest blunder the Government of AP shall be doing.

11. It has a severe shortage of water especially during summers and added to it is that the

ground water is saline.

12. The soil of this region is loose and is susceptible for soil liquification and

consequently it can’t withstand the pressures of larger structures. An article published

in Deccan Chronicle shall bear the testimony.

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Loose soil: Bapatla belt to lose capital race

The soil in those regions may cave in under pressure as it is loose

Hyderabad: Officials might have to think twice before selecting a coastal location as the new

capital for Andhra Pradesh. Studies by scientists from National Geophysical Research Institute

(NGRI) have put the Kakinada to Bapatla belt at a higher risk in the event of calamities while the

Bapatla to Nellore stretch is at moderate risk.

Studies also showed river locations along the Krishna and Godavari to be at moderate risk of

liquefaction. Liquefaction is, in simple terms, caving in of the soil when under pressure. This

happens to loose soil and although it would be fit for initial construction, structures have a heavy

risk of taking a beating in the event of a calamity like an earthquake.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had recently announced that a five-member

committee comprising experts and administrators would be set up to identify the new capital of

AP.

While the search for a new capital is on, studies by the NGRI have shown that some areas in

coastal regions might not be best suited for installing the new seat of power. This is because of

the high probability of liquefaction in case of a calamity there.The “safety factor” of these

regions was computed using ground wave velocities.

Scientists concluded that the belt from Kakinada to Bapatla had a low safety factor while that

from Bapatla to Gudur, which includes the Ongole region, had a moderate safety factor. This

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means risk of large-scale destruction during a calamity is higher here.Scientists also said that the

Krishna and Godavari river locations were are at moderate risk.

The study, published by NGRI scientists S. Trupti, K.N.S.S.S.S. Srinivas, P. Pavan Kishore and

chief scientist Dr T. Seshunarayana, identified 27 locations where “structural lineaments” existed

along the coastal districts. According to scientists, these lineaments play a vital role in causing

damage to structures. “These lineaments behave actively causing damage in the form of

liquefaction to the nearest localities and surroundings due to which there is a possibility of threat

to civil engineering structures,” the study stated.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140326/nation-current-affairs/article/loose-soil-bapatla-belt-

lose-capital-race

Kurnool

Kurnool is a city and administrative seat of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh state in southern India,

about 212 kilometres (132 mi) south of state capital, Hyderabad. It was the capital city of erstwhile

Andhra state for a very brief period till the formation of Andhra Pradesh in 1956 when Hyderabad

replaced it as the Capital of Andhra Pradesh.

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Kurnool urban agglomeration had a population of 478,124, out

of which males were 239,401 and females were 238,723. The literacy rate was 77.37 per cent.

This city is favoured by few Rayalaseema politicians while there are not many takers for it. It can be

made as an alternative capital in case Tirupati is not the choice.

The following are the pros for it.

1. Capital of erstwhile Andhra state.

2. Largest urban agglomeration in Rayalaseema region.

However the cons are more glaring and insurmountable and they make Kurnool an unviable

option.

1. Underdeveloped infrastructure and it costs a lot of money and time to develop the

infrastructure.

2. It is nerve centre of factional violence and law and order shall be a perennial problem.

3. It doesn’t have an airport and the nearest airport is Hyderabad which is 212 km away and it

shall take nothing less than three and half hour travel.

4. It is not conducive for business and development due to law and order situation.

5. Perennial water problem due to lack of water resources, but if planned properly Krishna

river water can be diverted to the city.

6. Geographically it is on one extreme corner of AP and transportation especially through train

is very poorly connected to the rest of AP.

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7. This city does not have proper support infrastructure like higher education, medical and

other support services.

Rajahmundry

Rajahmundry is the largest city in the Godavari districts. Though it is not a district HQ, it is a fairly

developed city. As per 2011 census the population of the city is 343,903. This city has a glorious past

and was seat of power for Chalukyan kings notable among them is Raja Raja Narendra who reigned

around 1022 AD, after whom it is named Rajamahendri or Rajamahendravaram. It remained as a cradle

of Telugu culture and literature and many eminent personalities and men of arts hailed from this place

and this place is hotbed for freedom struggle movement as well as Telugu literature movements.

Whatsoever may be its past it is not a suitable candidate for being a capital of AP.

The following are the pros and cons of the place.

The PROs:

1. Abundant water facilities.

2. It is a railway junction on the busy Chennai-Howrah line as well as NH-5 connecting Kolkata-

Chennai passes through this city.

3. Relatively peaceful city and people are having cosmopolitan outlook.

4. Well connected to rich agricultural hinterland.

5. Well established and thriving business establishments. It’s a hub of retail business.

6. People are very enterprising and hard working.

The CONs

1. Fairly underdeveloped infrastructure needed for a capital city.

2. It does not have enough land for expansion. There is a suggestion to utilize 7500 acres of reserve

forest land abutting the city for future capital but it is not feasible due to Forest Act and it

requires clearance from Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government, which is a very

difficult proposition.

3. Though it has a small airport expansion of which is a difficult proposition and as of now it has

two flights a day connecting Hyderabad. The following is a brief about Rajahmundry airport.

The airport was constructed during the British era and is spread over an area of 366 acres. It was

served by Vayudoot between 1985 and 1994 and by VIF Airways in 1995.[2] The Andhra Pradesh

government signed a MoU worth Rs. 23 crore with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in

February 2007 for modernising the airport.[1] Works on the new terminal building to

accommodate 150 passengers and control tower were completed in 2011 at a cost of Rs 38

crore. The terminal was inaugurated on 16 May 2012.[3] The AAI's plans to extend the existing

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runway from 1,749 metres to 3,000 metres to enable landing of aircraft like the Airbus A320 has

met with resistance from local land-owners.[4] Approximately 700 more acres would be needed

for this expansion.[3] Limited by runway length, airlines operate smaller 70 seat turbo-

prop aircraft like the ATR-72(Jet Airways)and the Q-400 (SpiceJet) into Rajahmundry. As of now ,

The government sanctioned about 80 crore rupees for its expansion.

4. Though it is a Railway junction it many of the superfast trains don’t have a stoppage at

Rajahmundry.

5. There is a rich and fertile agricultural land surrounding Rajahmundry and farmers are generally

reluctant to offer their lands for development and hence are not a place of choice for future

Capital.

6. It is generally prone for flooding during monsoons and this area is frequented with many

cyclones and loses to life and property is a recurring event around the city and this may

temporarily obstruct the Government functioning.

7. Lack of major Government establishments in the city and also the city is congested. Hence it

shall not be a suitable location to locate a state capital.

8. The soil of this region is loose and is susceptible for soil liquification and consequently it can’t

withstand the pressures of larger structures. An article published in Deccan Chronicle shall bear the

testimony.

Loose soil: Bapatla belt to lose capital race

The soil in those regions may cave in under pressure as it is loose

Hyderabad: Officials might have to think twice before selecting a coastal location as the new

capital for Andhra Pradesh. Studies by scientists from National Geophysical Research Institute

(NGRI) have put the Kakinada to Bapatla belt at a higher risk in the event of calamities while the

Bapatla to Nellore stretch is at moderate risk.

Studies also showed river locations along the Krishna and Godavari to be at moderate risk of

liquefaction. Liquefaction is, in simple terms, caving in of the soil when under pressure. This

happens to loose soil and although it would be fit for initial construction, structures have a heavy

risk of taking a beating in the event of a calamity like an earthquake.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had recently announced that a five-member

committee comprising experts and administrators would be set up to identify the new capital of

AP.

While the search for a new capital is on, studies by the NGRI have shown that some areas in

coastal regions might not be best suited for installing the new seat of power. This is because of

the high probability of liquefaction in case of a calamity there.The “safety factor” of these

regions was computed using ground wave velocities.

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Scientists concluded that the belt from Kakinada to Bapatla had a low safety factor while that

from Bapatla to Gudur, which includes the Ongole region, had a moderate safety factor. This

means risk of large-scale destruction during a calamity is higher here.Scientists also said that the

Krishna and Godavari river locations were are at moderate risk.

The study, published by NGRI scientists S. Trupti, K.N.S.S.S.S. Srinivas, P. Pavan Kishore and

chief scientist Dr T. Seshunarayana, identified 27 locations where “structural lineaments” existed

along the coastal districts. According to scientists, these lineaments play a vital role in causing

damage to structures. “These lineaments behave actively causing damage in the form of

liquefaction to the nearest localities and surroundings due to which there is a possibility of threat

to civil engineering structures,” the study stated.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140326/nation-current-affairs/article/loose-soil-bapatla-belt-

lose-capital-race

Vijayawada-Guntur Vijayawada-Guntur is a moderately big urban agglomeration in the midst the fertile Krishna river

delta. The land and people are rich and can be said as the cradle of Telugu culture. As per 2011

census population of Vijayawada is 10,48,240 and population of Guntur is 6,51,382. Both cities

are about 30km apart and the Krishna River is a major hurdle in the growth of this urban

agglomeration into a megalopolis. Vijayawada, the third largest city in the state of Andhra

Pradesh after Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, also it is one of the important commercial and

transport centres of the state. The city happened to be the headquarters of the taluk for a long

time and acted as a point of centrality to many of the districts of the state. Over years the city

has grown as a major economic, cultural and administrative nerve centre of coastal Andhra due

to its nodal location as an important railway junction of and, also because of National Highway-5

and National Highway-9 traversing the city. Guntur, one of the largest urban centers of Andhra

Pradesh is located 272km southeast of Hyderabad, the state capital. Geographically, Guntur lies

on 800, 28’ latitude and 160, 28’ longitude. It is well connected by road and rail to all major

cities of southern India. The city is reputed to be a renowned education center. In addition,

Guntur boasts one of the largest centers of chilly and tobacco trade in this region.

Despite all the ingredients for becoming a Capital city it suffers from major handicaps that act as

a strong repulsive factors to consider it for Capital.

The following are the advantages of Vijayawada-Guntur for making it as a capital.

1. Its central and strategic location.

2. Moderately developed infrastructure.

3. Good connectivity by road and rail. Has a medium sized aerodrome.

4. Being a business hub and rich agricultural wealth with wealthy businessmen and

enterprising industrialists shall make this place an ideal location.

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5. Locals feel that the campus of Acharya Nagarjuna University is suitable to house Legislature,

Secretariat, Raj Bhavan and few Government offices.

The following are the Cons of Vijayawada-Guntur from becoming Capital city.

There is no surplus land for development and further these two cities are around one of the

most fertile places on the earth. In future due to shortage of land available for cultivation,

converting the fertile land into urban land further accentuate the impending food crisis and the

consequence of which shall be high increase in food prices and which shall make the life of

common man more miserable.

The real estate rates are at its peak, purchasing land for any future development shall be a very

costly proposition. This is one of the most repulsive factors for not considering Vijayawada as a

Capital city.

Vijayawada and Guntur is very nerve centre for communal violence especially community

clashes which shall repulse business as well as industrial establishments. Most often people

from this place succeeded elsewhere than within that place due to excessive competition.

It is the hub of radical elements, most of the leaders of Naxal movement hail from this place due

to oppressive human conditions. These radical elements resort to violent modes act as a severe

menace to the law and order situation as well as general public life.

The feeling of superiority and alienation among the people of the city make them hated by

people from other regions. This may not instill confidence and conducive environment for other

regions. They also have a tendency to suppress other regions and would like to thrive at the cost

of other regions.

Certain communities and vested interest groups in this region due to their financial clout,

extreme cohesiveness, camaraderie, cunningness and immorality never let other communities

and regions to survive and thrive at the cost of others and these communities are never good at

working as a team with people from other regions and communities. This tendency has

generated strong feelings and sentiments against them and the present Telangana issue and

violence is an outcome of this tendency.

Most often majority of the people of this region due to their feeling of superiority, cunningness

and discriminative nature don't understand the perspective and problems of others. Their greed

and lust for money and their agenda of amassing wealth most often by unscrupulous and unfair

means may not gel well with people from other regions who are less materialistic, less

ambitious as well as less greedy. This shall always be source of conflict between them and other

regions. Due to this there is a chance for further divisions within the state.

The people of this region may never let the development percolate to other backward regions

like Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema.

Vijayawada Airport is a mid-sized domestic airport serving Vijayawada. Its longest runway is

7,500 feet in length at an elevation of 82 feet. Currently flights run 6 times a day from

Gannavaram to New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bangalore. Due to an increase in air traffic

to this region, Airports Authority of India recently decided to develop and make infrastructural

changes to the airport. Further expansion of Vijayawada airport is hitting a major road block and

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the future expansion of this airport is bleak. For a capital city a major international airport is a

must. For further details the following article published in the Hindu shall elucidate the point.

Gannavaram Airport project hits a roadblock

Published: March 29, 2013 15:29 IST | Updated: March 29, 2013 15:32 IST

Airports Authority of India and the State Government entered into a memorandum of understanding in

2007 for the expansion of Gannavaram Airport, but the chances of the MoU turning into reality are

bleak in near future.

State Infrastructure & Investment, Ports, Airports & Natural Gas Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao during his

recent visit to the city had announced a Rs.70-crore grant for expansion of the runway and construction

of new terminal building, but State Budget for 2013-14 saw only an allocation of Rs.90 lakh.

This shows the intent of the State Government as 475-acre land acquisition, which is key factor in this

process, cannot be taken up and obviously this is the last nail in the coffin of the six-year-old project.

Road block in the project has been the non-fixing of amicable rate for land acquisition and none of the

public representatives from Krishna district seems interested in furthering this project.

The Gannavaram airport has night-landing facility, Instrument Landing facility, and automated air-traffic

control system is under trial. Once the DGCA gives permission, it will be declared operational.

With all these infrastructure facilities and a great potential of passenger patronage, Gannavaram can

develop into a major international airport.

Experts feel if the runway, which is 7,500 feet now is expanded up to the irrigation canal, wide-bodied

aircraft can land and long-distance flights within the country and international flights also can be

started. For the initial expansion about 300 acres can be acquired utilising the existing facilities. “Some

land available with the airport and first phase acquisition can lead to launching of works,” opined

Communist Party of India (Marxist) city unit leader Ch. Babu Rao.

The Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce president Mutthavarapu Murali Krishna said that he along

with like-minded people had been pressuring the State Government and had met the District Collector

regarding the price that could be offered to the farmers from whom land had to be acquired. He opined

that initiative had to come from the State Government in the form of bigger amount of grant in the

State Budget.

The Vijayawada-based LEPL Air Costa, which is likely to launch its domestic operations in South India

from Mid or End-April, would also like the airport to expand. The airport currently has hangar facility for

only seven aircraft. The Opposition parties allege that private company managing the Samshabad

Airport was also not too keen to see the Vijayawada Airport develop as that would reduce passenger

traffic from the coastal districts.

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For confirmation follow the link given below.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/gannavaram-airport-project-hits-a-

roadblock/article4561743.ece

Vijayawada and Guntur being on either side of Krishna river is very vulnerable for flooding and

floods is a regular phenomenon added to this is its proneness to cyclones and storm surges.

cyclone and storm surges of 1976-1977 bears a testimony. There are many such cyclones which

wrought a major havoc in this region.

This region is in the Zone III of seismicity , which is vulnerable for mild to moderate earthquakes.

Vijayawada is vulnerable especially to hot waves during summer and may not offer a pleasant

weather and hence may not be a place worth settling.

The soil of this region is loose and is susceptible for soil liquification and consequently it can’t

withstand the pressures of larger structures. An article published in Deccan Chronicle shall bear

the testimony.

Loose soil: Bapatla belt to lose capital race

The soil in those regions may cave in under pressure as it is loose

Hyderabad: Officials might have to think twice before selecting a coastal location as the new

capital for Andhra Pradesh. Studies by scientists from National Geophysical Research Institute

(NGRI) have put the Kakinada to Bapatla belt at a higher risk in the event of calamities while the

Bapatla to Nellore stretch is at moderate risk.

Studies also showed river locations along the Krishna and Godavari to be at moderate risk of

liquefaction. Liquefaction is, in simple terms, caving in of the soil when under pressure. This

happens to loose soil and although it would be fit for initial construction, structures have a heavy

risk of taking a beating in the event of a calamity like an earthquake.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh had recently announced that a five-member

committee comprising experts and administrators would be set up to identify the new capital of

AP.

While the search for a new capital is on, studies by the NGRI have shown that some areas in

coastal regions might not be best suited for installing the new seat of power. This is because of

the high probability of liquefaction in case of a calamity there.The “safety factor” of these

regions was computed using ground wave velocities.

Scientists concluded that the belt from Kakinada to Bapatla had a low safety factor while that

from Bapatla to Gudur, which includes the Ongole region, had a moderate safety factor. This

means risk of large-scale destruction during a calamity is higher here.Scientists also said that the

Krishna and Godavari river locations were are at moderate risk.

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The study, published by NGRI scientists S. Trupti, K.N.S.S.S.S. Srinivas, P. Pavan Kishore and

chief scientist Dr T. Seshunarayana, identified 27 locations where “structural lineaments” existed

along the coastal districts. According to scientists, these lineaments play a vital role in causing

damage to structures. “These lineaments behave actively causing damage in the form of

liquefaction to the nearest localities and surroundings due to which there is a possibility of threat

to civil engineering structures,” the study stated.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140326/nation-current-affairs/article/loose-soil-bapatla-belt-

lose-capital-race

Tirupati Tirupati is a major pilgrimage and cultural city in the Chittoor district of India. It is located at

the foothills of the Eastern Ghats, 65 kilometres (40 mi) fromChittoor, 150 kilometres (93 mi)

from Chennai, 250 kilometres (160 mi) from Bangalore and 550 kilometres (340 mi) from the

state capital, Hyderabad. Tirupati is famous for Venkateswara Swamy temple dedicated to Lord

Venkateswara, located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north west of Tirupati in the Tirumala hills at

an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft). One of the most important pilgrimage centers in the

World, the temple draws millions of pilgrims and is the busiest pilgrimage center in the

world.[2] Tirupati has several temples and is a major economical and educational hub in the

southern region of the state.

As per 2011 census the population of Tirupati Municipal corporation is 2,87,035.

Though the temple town is well endowed with good infrastructure and a developed airport and

being near to Chennai and Bangalore is also suffering from certain drawbacks like being at an

extreme South of AP, lack of cosmopolitan outlook. Being near to two major metros also may

also lead to outsmarted by its giant neighbours. Also since it is in Rayalaseema it may be

vulnerable to factional violence.

The following are the pros for Tirupati.

1. It has a fairly developed infrastructure.

2. There is a vast scope for expansion of Tirupati around its surroundings due to availability of

non-agricultural land in its surroundings.

3. Excellent connectivity by road, rail and air to other locations in other parts of the state as

well as country.

4. Nearness to Bangalore and Chennai, this may act as a catalyst for investments in its vicinity.

5. The NTPC-BHEL Power Project and Sri City SEZ are the game-changers that are soon set to

bring Tirupati on the State’s industrial face.

6. Chitoor district is more industrialized than other Rayalaseema districts and has a very

conducive industrial and business environment.

7. Low violence rates compared to other Rayalaseema locations.

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8. It’s a spiritual, educational and medical hub of Rayalaseema.

9. Nearness to Chennai and Krishnapatnam ports.

10. It has a strong Rayalaseema political lobby.

11. Being a pilgrimage centre people generally shun off from Violence and immoral acts.

The cons of Tirupati for considering as a capital city of AP.

1. Lack of cosmopolitan outlook, though people are definitely not narrow minded. Due to

admixture of Telugu, Tamil and Kannada culture people are generally accommodative but

cosmopolitan outlook in the modern sense is lacking.

2. The infrastructure available is not adequate for making it as a capital.

3. It is in one of the backward regions of AP and local enterprise is generally missing and has to

depend mostly on outside investors. The investors may not be willing to invest for the want of

infrastructure and may shift their investments to the well developed Chennai and Bangalore

surroundings. Due to state jurisdiction problems also Tirupati may not offer an ideal investment

destination. The case in point is Chandigarh due to its proximity to Delhi failed to attract much

investments due to extreme pull factors of Delhi that repelled investments away from

Chandigarh.

4. Its location being at the far edge of AP may be a disadvantage, but with better rail and road

connectivity this problem can be sorted out.

5. Tirupati can never be considered as a complete city since overwhelmingly the city’s economy

and development owes to Lord Balaji and hence creating necessary infrastructure is a costly and

time consuming process.

6. It is in the heart of Reddy’s stronghold and hence financially strong Kammas may oppose it as a

capital. However it is more suitable location for political capital of Seemandhra.

7. It may not find much support from the political sections from other than Rayalaseema.

8. It may be prone for factional violence once it is made as a capital.

Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam (sometimes spelled as Vishakhapatnam and often abbreviated to Vizag) is a port city on

the southeast coast of India and often called "The Jewel of the East Coast" . According to the 2011 India

census,[6] the population of Visakhapatnam in 2011 was 1,730,320, of which 875,199 were male and

855,121 were female. The sex ratio of Visakhapatnam city was 977 females per 1000 males. This is prior

to the merger of Anakapalli and Bhimili municipalities and surrounding villages. Now with a population

of 2,035,690,[1] and Occupying 681 square kilometres (263 sq mi),[2] it is the second largest city in the

state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India (after Chennai and Kolkata).

Visakhapatnam is located 625 kilometres (388 mi) east of the state capital, Hyderabad. The city is home

to several state-owned heavy industries and a steel plant; it is one of India's largest seaports and has the

country's oldest shipyard. Visakhapatnam has the only natural harbour on the east coast of India.

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This city is a natural candidate for making a capital compared to all the other cities discussed previously.

The following are the pros for considering Visakhapatnam as a capital of AP.

1. It is the only city in residual Andhra Pradesh having a fairly well developed infrastructure. With the formation of Telangana w.e.f 2nd June 2014, the residual state of Andhra Pradesh shall start with a deficit of Rs. 15,000 crores per annum. Central Government allocating a fund of about Rs. 2,00,000 crores for the construction of new city from scratch is very remote in light of experiences with Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar, Navi Raipur and Navi Ranchi. Hence, the best option shall be to make a city which is developed and with a little further funding and can act as a ready-made capital.

2. It is the only city in the present Andhra Pradesh and residual Andhra Pradesh state i.e. about to be formed, having all modes of transportation i.e. air, land and sea. It is having an international airport with connectivity to all major cities in India apart from connecting to international destinations like Dubai and Singapore. It is the only city in A.P. having two ports. One is a major port and the other is port developed under PPP. It is one of the busiest railway junctions with trains connecting to every nook and corner of the country. It is on the strategic National Highway No. 5 under golden corridor and also NH-43 connecting with Raipur and hence to Delhi.

3. It has fairly good amount of Central Government as well as State Government establishments and in terms of investment, it has much larger than any other district in the present Andhra Pradesh, to name a few viz., Eastern Naval Command Headquarters, Railway division, Vizag Steel Plant, Oil Refinery, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, HPCL, Hindustan Ship Yard Limited, Dredging Corporation of India, Bharat Heavy Plates & Vessels, NSTL, Navy Science and Technology Laboratories etc.

4. It is a major industrial cluster in the present as well as residual Andhra Pradesh with about 74 major and medium scale industries and thousands of small scale industries. To name a few, it has prestigious companies like Vizag Steel, HPCL, Rail calcling Limited, , BHPV, LG Polymers, NTPC etc. Apart from this it has an exclusive special economic zone by name VZEZ with export oriented units at Duvvada and Atchyutapuram.

5. It has plenty of high quality centers of higher education with three universities viz., Andhra University, GITAM University & Indian Maritime University, about more than 30 Engineering colleges, one medical college, many nursing colleges, numerous degree and junior colleges along with plenty of options for different streams of education. Hence there is dearth of skilled manpower i.e. essential for setting up of any industry or business.

6. It has a hub of medical institutions. It has one of the oldest medical colleges in India, viz., Andhra Medical College, which was set up in 1923 and attached to one of the oldest hospital by name King George Hospital. Apart from this there are plenty of Government hospitals like T.B. Hospital, ENT Hospital, Mental Hospital, L.V.Prasad Eye Hospital, Railway Hospital, INHS Kalinga Hospital etc. There are plenty of corporate hospitals like Care, Seven Hills, NRI Hospital, Manipal Hospital, Appollo Hospital, Indus Hospital, Vijaya Medical Centre etc. Apart from this a medical city is being developed at Hanumanthavaka region consisting of prestigious hospital like VIMS (Vizag Institute of Medical Sciences), Apollo Hospital, L. V. Prasad Eye Hospital etc.

7. Recently Metro Rail has been sanctioned for Rs. 4,000 crores which will surely enhance the transport facilities already available in the city. Exclusive BRTS Corridor between Pendurthi to RTC Complex via Gopalapatnam and the other via Adavivaram to Hanumanthavaka with a total length of 70 kilometers of road easing traffic congestion in various parts of the city.

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8. It is a hub of retail and wholesale business with plenty of business establishment as well as malls apart from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam is home to many huge malls and exclusive show rooms like CMR Central, CMR Grand, Big Bazaar, Spensers’, UNV, Visakhapatnam Central, Vinnis, Reliance Fresh, More, exclusive jewelry show rooms like Joy Alukas, Jos Alukas, GRT, Khazaana, Tanisq etc.

9. With about 20 star hotels and 200 budget hotels, it is undoubtedly a leader when it comes to hospitality industry in Seemandhra and it has sufficient accommodation to hold any kind of international seminars, conferences, etc. Apart from that Visakhapatnam is one of the prime and premier tourist destinations of India with a tourist arrival of more than 1 crore per annum, despite not being marketed properly and it is the most conducive for film industry.

10. Its pleasant weather along with cosmopolitan outlook and friendly people with one of the least crime rates i.e. unmatched in the entire of Andhra Pradesh makes it one of the most ideal locations for any person to settle.

11. Despite apathy from Hyderabad and having no strong leader to attract investments and projects, Visakhapatnam is one of the fastest growing cities of the world. As such, Visakhapatnam has many push factors which shall make it the most ideal destination for investment in tourism, medical tourism, residential settlements, business establishments, manufacturing units etc. due to least pull factors like negative political leadership, no organized mafia, and along with fairly developed infrastructure.

12. Visakhapatnam has plenty of land available for future expansion like about 10,000 acres of land available with Steel plant, 17,500 acres of reserve forest in the heart of the city once it is de-notified can be utilized for capital development, 70,000 acres of land available with Simhachalam Devasthanam, which is under the Ministry of Endowments, Government of Andhra Pradesh, 10,000 acres of land available around Atchyutapuram region, 20,000 acres of land around Sabbavaram region, 1,000 acres of Railway land, thousands of acres of land of Port and huge amount of land in between Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, apart from the land of State Government, which can be effectively utlised for development of a Capital in the process wherein without losing any prime agricultural land unlike in Vijayawada, Guntur, Rajahmundry, Kakinada and Ongole.

13. Visakhapatnam being Eastern Naval Command Headquarters, further since this area is being least prone for any kind of natural disaster, shall come handy in mobilizing as well as managing any kind of disaster like cyclones, earthquakes, floods etc which regularly frequent Andhra Pradesh between Kakinada to Nellore.

14. Visakhapatnam Air port is the largest airport in the residential state of Andhra Pradesh with more than 1867.5 acres of land compared to 500 acres each at Rajahmundry and Vijayawada. Hence, it does not require any acquisition of land for further development of the airport. Generally 600 acres of land is sufficient to develop an international airport. Best example is Cochin International Airport and Nedumbassery with only 600 acres of land which handles around 48 lakhs of air passenger per annum which the next only to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai with international tourists of 30 lakhs much more than even Bangalore Kolkata and Hyderabad. As of now, the passenger arrivals at Visakhapatnam is 10.59 lakhs compared to 2.8 lakhs in TPTY and 60,000 at Vijayawada. Already international flights are arriving and many air lines are showing interest to start their operations from Visakhapatnam.

15. Steps should be taken to hand over the airport from Naval Authorities to Airport Authority of India as it was prior to 1985. The Navy shall shift their air base from Visakhapatnam to Rambilli where they are about to develop their second naval base in the east coast.

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16. With NTPC Simhadri Plant in the vicinity and upcoming thermal power plant of 4,000 megawatts at Srikakulam shall cater to the needs of the teaming millions in Visakhapatnam metropolitan region.

17. Greater Municipal Corporation of Visakhapatnam with more 600 square kilometers of area is one of the largest municipal corporations of India in terms of area.

18. With a network of reservoirs like Meghadri Gedda, Munasaralova, Raivada, Thatipudi, Gambhiram etc. Godavari Canal from Yeleswaram and Polavaram shall supply regular drinking water and water for industrial growth. Hence the question of lack of water resources does not arise.

19. Local industry is suffering due to the apathy of the State Government especially erratic power supply, lack of provision of certain incentives despite having one of the best infrastructural, natural and human resources due to Hyderabad centric development. Now since Hyderabad is no more with the state Visakhapatnam shall see the light of the day and shall act as the strongest driving force of resurgent Andhra Pradesh.

20. Visakhapatnam has never witnessed any sectarian clashes like communal clashes, caste clashes, clash between the rich and the poor. People with cosmopolitan outlook and friendly nature will welcome any kind of people to this particular city.

21. Unlike places like Guntur, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Kakinada, Ongole, etc, Visakhapatnam is one of the best geological climatic conditions and its soil is suitable for any kind of heavy structures and it does not suffer from loose soil, soil liquefaction, cyclones, seismic activities etc. unlike Krishna, Godavari belt and entire coastal region minus Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam. Hence construction of heavy structures required for a capital is the safest at Visakhapatnam compared to any other location in Andhra Pradesh.

22. Its port is the safest, deepest and the only natural harbor in the country making it as an ideal location for becoming a transshipment hub west of Singapore and since India’s share in international trade is increasing rapidly, importance of Vizag in time to come shall increase. In Vizag the deep sea is hardly one Km away from the port whereas in other ports they have to travel a minimum distance of nothing less than 50 km to reach the deep sea and hence they can’t handle bigger ships. Only Vizag port and Gangavaram port can handly ships as large as 300,000 DWT. Hence in time to come Vizag shall emerge as the transshipment hub and a mega logistics cluster. This in turn attracts huge investments into logistics, heavy industries, electrical, electronics, oil, metallurgy industries, etc.

23. Industrial relations in all the industries are very cordial and hence there shall be no problems in

attracting investments in this location.

24. It is strategically located at the center point of the east coast of India. It is connected with the

rich mineral belt of Central India as well as agricultural wealth of AP.

25. With the industry and trade shifting towards China, South East Asia and East Asia,

Visakhapatnam is the natural choice for future industrial or trade expansion.

26. Since it is not repulsive destination for both Delta region and Rayalaseema it’s an ideal place to

be a capital. This place is free from factional violence, crime and communal conflicts make it a

numero uno choice for Capital city.

27. On numerous occasions many foreign business delegates who have visited Visakhapatnam have

shown interest in setting up businesses in Visakhapatnam. However due to apathy from the

rulers at Hyderabad it didn’t receive its due share. With the division of the state Visakhapatnam

as a capital shall catapult investments in the region.

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Cons:

Basically there are no strong cons against it. However since many people perceive it I shall quote few

and also give you the reasons why they are not strong arguments.

1. It is not at the center of the state. Even Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Mumbai, Kolkata, etc

are on one corner of their state. Even present Hyderabad is on the North Western corner of AP.

This can be addressed by providing train connectivity to Rayalaseema region. All the

experiments to set up a capital at central location failed just because it’s at the center of a state

region or country. The best example was that of Mohammad bin Tughlaq shifting his capital

from Delhi to centrally located place Daulatabad. It led to severe hardship to the people and loss

of men, capital and time and later he had to abandon it and returned back to Delhi.

2. Lack of strong local political leaders, since last 25 years locals were never had a chance to fill in

the political space. It’s only a matter of giving a chance this can be nurtured as well. However

this is not a strong ground to say against it. Further everyone has a chance to grow since there is

no strong negative political leadership.

3. Making capital shall make this city spoil and be vulnerable for political turmoil. This is true for all

places but not only for Vizag. However, making it a capital shall make it get what it is due and is

best for rest of AP as well as the country.

Do AP Need a New Capital built from Scratch ?

This thought is very much prevalent in the minds of the leaders of major political parties like

Chandrababu Naidu and Jaganmohan Reddy, who on many occasions flouted a concept of building a

new city like that of Singapore. The following are the pros and cons of building a new city from scratch.

PROS:

1. Building a city from scratch has the advantages of choosing best location suitable for development

basing on Geographical location, Geological conditions, proneness for natural hazards, natural forest

cover, recreation, etc.

2. It shall be planned properly by taking into account its future growth. Proper roads, buildings, offices,

parks, etc can be planned properly by taking into aesthetics and finer principles of town planning.

3. New city shall be devoid of problems of the old cities like traffic congestion, slums, haphazard growth,

lack of future growth potential, land litigations, etc.

CONS:

1. With an annual budget deficit of about Rs. 25,000 crores in the Residual state of AP developing a new city shall eat away a lot of time, money and other resources. Further, as per section 94(3) the AP reorganization Act, 2014, "The Central Government shall provide special financial support for the creation of essential facilities in the new capital of the successor State of Andhra Pradesh including the Raj Bhawan, High Court, Government Secretariat, Legislative

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Assembly, Legislative Council, and such other essential infrastructure". And as per item no. 11 of infrastructure in the Thirteenth Schedule further states that "The Central Government shall take measures to establish rapid rail and road connectivity from the new capital of the successor State of Andhra Pradesh to Hyderabad and other important cities of Telangana". From these provisions it's clear that the Central government shall bear the burden of the expenditure on creation of new Capital in residual Andhra Pradesh. As of 2013-14, the fiscal deficit of Central government in April-February FY2014 is pegged at 5.3% of GDP which translates to Rs 5,99,199 crores as per the latest report published by Citigroup. According to the report the fiscal deficit was 114.3% of the target which is due to increase in expenditure and shortfall of revenues. In years to come it shall be even more worse with the implementation of 7th Central Pay Commission. Hence, central government is in a compulsion of identifying a city where the infrastructure is ready and with little investment the issue of capital should be solved.

2. The Telangana debacle unleashed the genie of small states which were dormant since 2000 when NDA government created three new states viz. Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal. Now there are vociferous demands for creation of new states like Bodoland, Gorkhaland, Vidharba, etc. Mayawati Government in UP had passed a resolution for splitting UP into four new states. Now with predictions that NDA government is likely to form the government which favours creation of new states the Central government shall be hard pressed for financial resources and hence setting up a new capital is a burden of Central exchequer.

3. The amount required to set up infrastructure in new capital from scratch may cost anything between Rs 1,00,000 crores to 4,00,000 crores and this expenditure is a wasteful expenditure whose returns to the state or Central Government is under suspect. In AP cities like Visakhapatnam is already having all the ingredients for setting up a capital along with land for expansion. Visakhapatnam is better than all state capital cities except metro cities and there is no point spending money unnecessarily on building a new capital from scratch.

4. Building a new capital is time consuming and burdensome. The time lost in building a capital shall mean loss of opportunities for the state of AP. Generally in a developing country like India we hardly have a world class city, attracting investment needs excellent infrastructure and connectivity and if we create a new capital there shall be loss of investment opportunities for AP to destinations like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune and Kochi. Hence an existing city like Visakhapatnam which has all the ingredients for making a capital needs to be made as a capital so that it can attract investments.

5. Recently in AP certain real estate vested interest groups which are into active politics and some of them are powerful politicians are making a mess of new capital by citing towns/villages like Ongole, Dhonakonda, Macherla, Mangalagiri, Nagarjuna Sagar, etc as future capitals by releasing paid articles into newspapers and fooling the people while they are making money at the cost of common man. These vested interest groups are propagating new, illogical, irrational and unwanted theories about location of the state which shall go against the state as well as public at large. If these views are subscribed to then it shall cost the larger sections of population while small section of vested interests shall thrive on it and this shall be suicidal.

6. Now it's time for AP as well as to the center to take a wise decision based on the true merits of each location and this wise decision shall provide opportunities for the generations to come or else the future generations shall blame us for the blunders we commit for our myopic and vested interests. After all we abode this beautiful planet between our birth and death. Let the dwellers of AP get a fair deal!

WHAT SHALL BE AND WHERE SHALL BE THE FUTURE AP TO BE SET UP?

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Since the development model of the existing AP is Hyderabad centric and now that the planners may not commit the similar mistake they may plan for two administrative cities and decentralize the development efforts. The two capitals one Political and the other investment capital and they both should be set up in backward Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra respectively since these regions are strong in their respective areas.

Administrative city 1- A Case for Rayalaseema Rayalassema always remained as hotbed of AP politics this is the region that produced many chief Ministers ever since the inception of Andhra state and its successor state of Andhra Pradesh like N. Sanjeeva Reddy, D. Sanjeeviah, K. Vijay Bhaskara Reddy, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and the future CM's of residual state of AP be it Y.S. Jaganamohan Reddy or Nara Chandrababu Naidu both belong to Rayalaseema. In future times to come the future CM's of AP shall be from this region due to peculiar environmental conditions in Rayalaseema which produces natural leaders. Hence setting up a political capital with Assembly, Rajbhavan and secretariat in Rayalaseema would be a natural choice than setting up the same in Coastal AP. There are three major choices, they are Tirupati, Kurnool and Kadapa since all three are equally competent. Since I have less information on these locations I shall leave this to the committee.

Administrative city-2- A case for Uttarandhra In Uttarandhra the city of Visakhapatnam being the largest city is home to many large industrial and government establishments and is strategically located at the centre of the East Coast of India where there is future since the world's growth is focused in South East and East Asia. Since 1991, when Indian economy was opened up, Visakhapatnam attracted many investment proposals which hadn't seen the light of the day since the AP state government is excessively obsessed with Hyderabad centric growth and since Hyderabad is now no more with Andhra Pradesh Visakhapatnam region shall get its due. A very unfortunate part is that though Visakhapatnam is a more deserving place due to lack of strong leaders and apathy from leaders and people of other regions of AP its getting its due. Committee may look into all aspects of all the cities and take a proper assessment based of the strengths and weaknesses of each location rather than becoming hand and glove with real estate lobbies. Coming to setting up a capital Visakhapatnam is an ideal location since it has all the ingredients of a capital. The following are the details of those ingredients.

Infrastructure Description

Airport International airport in 1867.5 acres area with 10.37 lakh passenger movements (including 54,552 international passengers) Destinations ( Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Raipur, Kochi, Bhubaneswar, Jammu, Dubai/sharjah and Singapore) Aircraft operators (Air India, Jet airways, Indigo, spicejet, Air costa and Silk air) Future destinations (Sharjah, Colombo and Kaulalampur) Future aircraft operators (Air Arabia, Srilankan Airlines and Air Asia)

Zoological gardens Indira Gandhi Zoological gardens (625 acres) with about 80 species of

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different animals. It is in a natural forest with water bodies, hills and is thickly forested ( 5km away from city center)

National Park Kambalakonda National park (70.70 sq kms) UNIQUENESS: A large and sprawling greenery around the Vizag City harbouring diverse flora & fauna. FLORA: Dry evergreen forest mixed with scrub and meadows. Terrain hilly with steep slopes. FAUNA: Panthers, Spotted Deers, Sambar, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Jackal, Wild Dog etc. Located opposite Zoo park

Parks VUDA park (largest park opposite sea beach with musical fountain, boat house, skating ring, etc) Shivaji park, Array of parks on Beach road, Tenneti park, Terrace park in Rushikonda, YSR Park, Kailashagiri (unique attraction of Vizag, the only park in India opposite sea on Hilltop with a toy train and a ropeway), Yarada, Bheemili, Nehru park, Indira park, Mudasarlova park, Visakha Jala Udyanavanam and many more small parks in the residential colonies

Water bodies Bay of Bengal, Mudsarlova reservoir, Gambeeram reservoir, Thatipudi reservoir, Meghadrigedda reservoir, Kaniti Reservoir, Raiwada reservoir, Kambalakonda lake, Kondakarla ava lake, and many minor water bodies

Water sports Aqua sports complex with Olympic size swimming pool, Railways is also constructing an Olympic size stadiums, each Public sector unit has its own swimming pools, speed boating at Rushikonda, Sea boat riding organized by APTDC at fishing harbour. It's ideal for sailing, yatching, surfing and other water sports

Stadiums Visakhapatnam has no dearth of stadiums. Apart from sports bodies like ACA, Municipal Corporations, etc due to presence of large public sector establishments like Railways, defense, BHPV, Steel Plant, Vizag Port, etc there are plenty of sporting facilities and is a heaven for sports lovers.

YSR international cricket stadium (45,000 seating capacity many IPL and international matches were played and recently it got test playing status as well),

Railway stadium,

Port stadium, Municipal stadium,

Steel plant stadium,

Swarna bharati Indoor stadium, Mini railway indoor stadium,

AU cricket grounds, AU has many sporting complexes like Tennis, Volleyball, basketball, etc.

Many tennis courts (clay, astro turf and hard courts),

Port, Steel plant and Shivaji hockey stadium.

Foot ball grounds are Indirapriyadarsini stadium, Railway stadium (exclusive football stadium is under construction), YSR international stadium, Steel plant stadium, etc

Sunray Village-

Recreation and entertainments

Varun's Inox, CMR inox, Reliance Inox, Jagadamba complex, about 40 movie theatres are there in and around the city,

Entire beach front from Coastal battery to Bheemunipatnam is an exclusive recreation zone (Vizag-Bheemili beach road is in fact the

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longest beach road in India),

India's largest go-karting track is in Visakhapatnam at Mangamaripeta,

As mentioned in Parks - parks like VUDA park, Kailashagiri, Rushikonda, Yarada, etc forms exclusive recreation and entertainment zone

India's only Submarine museum

AP's only aquarium (about 80 species of rare fish)

Visakhapatnam Museum (Exclusive naval museum)

CMR, Varun and Reliance malls have exclusive video entertainment zones

Agri gold Beach resort at Yarada

Water sports at Rushikonda

Navy mela in November-December

Red sandhills also known as Bhimili gullys

speed boating, snorliking and shooting ranges at Rushikonda

sunray village

East point Golf Club, Mudsarlova

Shopping malls Big Bazaar, Spensers, CMR central, Visakhapatnam Central, Men.com, UNV, Vinneys, CMR, Reliance shopping mall, Chermas, etc. Exclusive brands like Nike, Rebook, Adiddas, Pantaloons, Allen Solley, Raymonds, Hirawats, Mafatlal, Vimal, Bata, etc Jewellery show rooms- Vaibhav, Joy Allukkas, Jose Allukkas, Mohammad Khan, CMR grand, GRT, Malabar Gold, Keerthilals, etc Mobiles and Electronics- Many showrooms in Dwarakanagar, Dondaparti and Dabagardens

Retail Outlets There are plenty of retail outlets catering to the entire city ranging from groceries, cosmetics, hardware, electricals to costly electronics and cars

Universities Andhra University ( It is the oldest and premier institute and is rated as A category institute, which is setup in1926) GITAM University ( Private deemed university) Indian Maritime University has a campus in Visakhapatnam AP University of Law IGNOU- Regional center Annamalai University-Study center Sree Venkateswara University DDE- Study center Dr. B.R. Amdedkar Open University- Study center Amity University- Study center ICFAI University- Study center Bharatiyar University-Study center Madras University-study center And many other universities distance mode education study centers are in Visakhapatnam

Statutory educational bodies

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India- Vizag chapter Institute of Cost and management accountant of India- Visakhapatnam chapter and Ukkunagaram Chapters Associate Membership of Institute of Engineers- Visakhapatnam Chapter

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Institute of Company Secretaries of India- Visakhapatnam Chapter National Institute of Open Schooling - Visakhapatnam chapter

Residential complexes In present AP Visakhapatnam is next only to Hyderabad in terms of availability of residential of residential housing units reputed Indian and International players like Jurong, Indiabulls, Omexe, Shriram properties etc have their presence in Visakhapatnam. In government sector VUDA and AP state government is in construction sector making available high quality housing projects at affordable prices

Road network Visakhapatnam city has very wide and good network of roads connecting different parts of city as well as country. NH-5 and NH-43 provide connectivity with other parts of the country apart from this there are many state and District roads that connect the city with other parts of the state. In residual AP Visakhapatnam is the only city that offers excellent city roads with exclusive BRTS track of 70Kms connecting various parts of the city.

Public Transportation Plenty of city buses run by APSRTC, private autos and taxis provide public transportation. Metro project worth Rs. 5000 crores is sanctioned (details given below).

Engineer Colleges 1. Al-Aman College of Engineering

2. Al-Ameer College of Engineering & I.T. 3. Amaksik College Of Technology Mgmt 4. Andhra University College of Engineering 5. Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology & Science 6. AU College of Engineering for Women 7. Avanthi Institute of Engineering & Technology 8. BABA INST OF TECH AND SCIENCES 9. Chaitanya Engineering College 10. Dadi Institute of Engineering & Technology 11. Dr L Bullaiah College Of Engineering For Women 12. G V P COLLEGE FOR DEGREE AND PG COURSES 13. Gandi Institute of Technology & Management 12. Gayathri Vidya Parishad (GVP) College of Engineering 13. Gayatri Vidya Parishad College of Engineering For Women 14. Gonna Institute of Information Technology & Sciences 15. INDO AMERICAN INSTITUTIONS TECH CAMPUS 16. Kaushik College of Engineering 17. Nightingale Engineering College (Women) 18. Pydah College of Engineering & Technology 19. Raghu Engineering College 20. Raghu institute of Technology 21. SAI GANAPATHI ENGINEERING COLLEGE 22. Sankethika Institute of Technolgy & Management 23. Simhadri Educational Society Group of Institutions 24. Sankethika Vidya Parishad Engineering College 25. Sri Chaitanya Engineering College 26. Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Educational Trust's Group of Institutions 27. Vignans Institute of Engineering For Women 28. Vignans Institute of Info. Technology 29. Visaka Engineering College 30. Visakha Institute of Engineering & Technology 31. Visakha Institute of Engineering & Technology 32. Visakha Institute of Technology & Science (VITS) 33. VISAKHA TECHNICAL CAMPUS 34. Viswanadha Institute of Technology & Mngt(VITAM) 35. Vizag Institute of Technology 36. WELLFARE INST OF SCIENCE TECH AND MGMT

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Hospitals and Medical institutions

The list is exhaustive and it includes only the reputed hospitals only.

King George Hospital setup in 1909

Andhra Medical college set in 1923 (oldest in AP)

INHS Kalyani,

Port hospital

Railway hospital

Steel plant hospital

TB Hospital

Government ENT hospital

Government Eye hospital

Seven Hills hospital

Apollo hospital

CARE hospital

Lazareus hospital

Manipal Hospital

Indus Hospital

Visakha Institute of Paramedicals

LV Prasad Eye Hospital

Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital

Siddharha School of Nursing & Medical Technology

Santhi School of Lab Technician Training Course

Sri Chaitanya School of Para Medical Sciences

Beulah Institute of Health Sciences

Pavani Multipurpose Medical & Health Training Society

Vizag Health & Educational Society

Mahalaxmi Educational Society

Yashoda Krishna Institute of Para Medical Sciences

Siddharha School of Nursing & Medical Technology

Ravi Sankar Educational Society

Vizag Institute of Para Medical Sciences

Doctors Charak School of Para Medical Sciences

Pavani Institute of Multipurpose Handicapped & Spastics (PIMHAMS)

Dr. Steel City Educational Society Institute

AN Beach Hospital

Amrutha Nursing Home

Nikitha Hospital

ABC Hospital

Abhaya Hospital

Amrutha Nursing Home

Annapoorna Hospital

Anupama Surgical & Children Hospital

Apex Hospital

Apoorva Hospital

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Aradhana Hospital

Arif Nursing Home

Arogya Hospital

Bharadwaj Hospital

Bharathi Hospital

Krishna Hospital & IVF Clinic

Krishna Veni Hospital

Waltair Multicare Hospital & Divya Sai Poly Clinic

Prema ( Subham Prema ) Hospital

Visakha Childrens Hospital

Visakha Eye Hospital

Visakha ENT Hospital

Heritage and historical sites

Buddhist Sites- Thotlakonda, Bhavikonda, Pavuralakonda, Bojjannakonda, Lingalakonda, Salihundam

Jain Sites- Ramathirthalu

Temples- Simhachalam, Annavaram, Draksharamam, Sri Kurmam, Arasavalli, Appikonda, Pandurangaswami, Venkateswara temple, Sri Kanakamahalaxmi , Gangavaram, Sagaradurgam

Churches- Ross Mary Church, Roman Cahollic Church (oldest church in the coramandal coast), Rakshanagiri

Mosque- Ishq Madina church

Maharaja palace- Vizianagaram

Port

Town hall

East Point Rest House of Railways

Jagadamba Cemetery

Dutch cemetery, Bheemunipatnam

Hawa Mahal

Maharaja Kurupam's memorial

Old Dutch bungalows at Bheemunipatnam

KGH, St. Alloysius school, AVN college, Andhra University

Tourist attractions beaches- RK beach, Lawsons bay, Beach park, Sagarnagar, Yarada, Appikonda, Tantidi, Revupolavaram, Bheemili, Rushikonda, Chintapalli, Gangavaram

Hill stations- Araku, Anantagiri, Tyda, Borra caves(limestone caves), Chintapalli, Paderu, Lambasingi,

Waterfalls- Ketaki, Duduma, Chaparayi, Chitrakoot,

Parks- VUDA park, Rushikonda, Kailashgiri, Padmapuram Gardens, ASR Gardens, Mudasarlova, Shivaji, Thotlakonda

Resorts- Sai Priya, Punnami resorts-Rushikonda, Bay park, Agrigold resort-Yarada, Senora resort- Sagarnagar, Tyda-Jungle bells

Sunray Village sea beach resort (Golf, Stadium, Aquarium, Swimming pool, etc)

Dolphins cove

Light house

Museums- Visakha museum, Submarine museum, Tribal museum at

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Araku

Inland water bodies- Mudasarlova, Kaniti reservoir, Gambheeram, Megadrigedda, Thatipudi, Raiwada

Hydroelectric projects- Sileru, Machkund

Industrial tourism- Vizag steel plant, HPCL, Vizag and Gangavaram ports, Railways, NTPC-Parawada, Eastern Naval command, LG polymers, Andhra cements, VSEZ, SEZ Atchutapuram, Rain Calcling Ltd, Andhra Petrochemicals, Visakha Container terminal, Dredging Corporation, BHPV, Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., etc.

Medical tourism- Care hospital, KGH, VIMS, Appollo Hospital, Lazareus Hospital, Seven Hills hospital, Gandhi Cancer hospital, LV Prasad eye hospital, Sankar eye foundation, TB hospital, Government Mental Hospital, Maryland Hospital, Gosha Hospital, NRI hospital, Manipal Hospital, Visakha eye hospital, INHS Kalyani, Railway hospital, etc,.

Trekking - Tyda and Eastern Ghat hill trekking

Go karting- Mangamaripeta-largest in India

Hotels About 20 star hotels and about 200 budget hotels make Visakhapatnam as the third largest hotel and hospitality industry hub on the East Coast of India next only to Kolkata and Chennai. Already Visakhapatnam has emerged as MICE hub and in time to come shall emerge as one of the leading MICE hub in India. The star hotels include.

Novotel (*****)

Four Points Sheraton (*****)

The Park (*****)

The Gateway (formerly Taj Residency) (*****)

Dolphin (****)

Fortune Inn(****)

Green Park (****)

Grand Bay (****)

BezKrishna (****)

Sea Green(***)

Budhil Park (***)

Dasapalla (***)

Palm beach(***)

Meghalaya

Royal Fort

Punnami resorts

Sai Priya resorts

Senora Resort

Bay leaf Resort

Dwaraka Inn

Talasila

Sunray Village reort

Tyda Jungle bells

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Libraries AU library

District Central Library

Port Library

GITAM library

Government Regional Library

RK Mission

British Council

Visakhapatnam Public Library Society

Guest Houses Government Circuit house

Railway Rest Houses

Port Guest houses

HPCL Guest house

Customs Guest Houses

Steel plant guest house

Police Guest houses

AU Golden Jubilee guest house

Convention centers Novotel hotel 1200 capacity

VUDA international convention center (Under construction)

AU Convention centre

Steel plant Convention center

Gurazada Kala Kshetram (3000 seat capacity open air auditorium)

Port Convention center (1500 seat capacity)

Kala Bharati (1000 seat capacity)

Swarnabharati Indoor stadium

Silparamam Jatara Convention center (1000 capacity) (under construction)

Punnami resorts (800 seat capacity)

All star hotels have space for convention centers

Conference Halls There are plenty in the city. Almost all major hotels and major establishments have them so there is no problem.

Ports and logistics Visakhapatnam port is 3rd largest port in India

Gangavaram port deepest port in India

Visakha Container terminal 3rd largest in India

two ICD's one of CONCOR is under development

many warehouses and logistics parks

Visakhapatnam is one of the fastest emerging logistic hubs in India

Schools Plenty of Schools having three syllabuses -State , CBSE and ICSE

few of the reputed schools include

Visakha Valley School

Sainikh School

Kendriya Vidyalayas

Navodaya Schools

St. Alloysus

St. Antony's

St. Joseph

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Delhi Public School

Timpany

Markets Rytu Bazaars -Atleast 20 around the city

Poorna Market

Kurupam market

Kancharapalem market

Marripalem market

Spencers

Reliance Fresh

More

Karachiwalas

Numerous markets, restaurants, Food courts

Geological stability It is one of the most geologically stable location. Due to this geological stability, 1.33 Million Ton capacity underground Cavern is located at Visakhapatnam. Visakhapatnam is the only place in the entire east coast to have such a cavern.

Natural hazards Though it is in the Cyclonic zone due it its peculiar topography with solid hills across the sea shields it from the intensity of cyclone and due to moderating effect of air and temperature cycles the intensity of cyclonic circulation gets reduced and the destruction is very limited. The North side of Simhachalam Hill range is literally shielded from any Cyclones. The same is true for areas beyond Kambalakonda Range.

It is in Zone II of Seismic activity which is not much vulnerable for major earthquakes.

Floods certain low lying places like Airport surroundings and few low lying areas in the city are vulnerable. However in the recent past it has never seen any major flooding.

Tsunamis and Storm surges: Due to relatively higher elevations surrounding coast the destructive waves could not breach into the city and hence is one of the safest location on the entire east coast.

Water availability There is no water scarcity due to presence of many reservoirs surrounding the city and also Yeleswaram and Polavaram projects shall supply the much needed water to the city dwellers.

Metro Rail

A Metro Rail Project has also been planned by GVMC to arrest chaotic traffic condition on the streets...

Corridors of Proposed Metro Rail

A project proposal submitted by the GVMC to the Ministry of Urban Transport for Metro Rail project has

identified four corridors for mass rapid transit (MRT).

The four are on the

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1. National Highway from Maddilapalem to NAD Junction (10 km);

2. The railway station to Gajuwaka via Scindia (14.73 km),

3. Tagarapuvalasa to Hanumanthavaka on the highway (14 km) and

4. NAD Junction to Gajuwaka (8.5 km).

MRT CORRIDORS OF VIZAG

After the proposal was submitted by the GVMC in February 2014, the Urban Transport Department gave

in-principle approval for going ahead with feasibility studies and DPR. The GVMC now has to select

consultants for it.

The GVMC has proposed to take up feasibility study on the four corridors and to finalise one metro

corridor for a length of 25 km in the first phase to prepare a detailed project report at a cost of Rs.1.6

crore. The cost is footed equally by the State and Central Governments.

Municipal Commissioner vinod said on 24 March 2014 that the Central Government promised to foot 90

per cent of the cost of projects in Residual Andhra Pradesh as a part of the bifurcation package and

Metro would qualify for such funding. Recently, the Chief Secretary had asked for details of the Metro

project.

The four corridors have been identified based on a detailed study under the United Nations Environment

Programme (UNEP) that prepared Low Carbon Mobility Plan with comprehensive mobility plan and

suggesting integrated transport solutions.

The plan says that that future central business districts (CBDs) will be in Gajuwaka, Pendurti and

Madhurawada and transport axes will be along these growth corridors.

Earlier, in 2009 the Swedish Institute for Public Administration has conducted a review of Urban Transport

Sector and suggested a plan for integrated urban transport solutions. It estimated that travel demand

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would increase from two million motorised trips per day to almost four million trips by 2021. As of now the

city has two Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on Pendurti and Simhachalam corridors. Experts are of

the view that depending on the population and spread the city requires a support transport for mass rapid

transit systems to provide last mile connectivity.

Visakhapatnam as Administrative city 2 As per the above discussion it is very clear that Visakhapatnam has all the ingredients of becoming a

capital city. However, in light of the debacle of Hyderabad-centric (Capital centric) growth, the

administrators as well as the policy makers are of the opinion that in order to ensure a balanced regional

development AP badly needs two administrative units that shall decentralize the administration and

ensure overall development by making two cities from backward Uttarandhra and Rayalaseema regions.

This city fulfill all the criteria setup by the committee. However, the only drawback is lack of strong

political lobby. If you see it in the other way round it is much easier for planners and executives to go

ahead with their plans here in Visakhapatnam due to weak local leaders. Also one point is worth

mentioning here, if capital is setup in Visakhapatnam, which is the ideal location in AP since, Central

Government has to spend very few amount and the rest amount otherwise would have been spent on

other locations can be saved and the same can be used for some other useful planned expenditure.

I shall give you some glimpses of the city its topography and spatial development pattern. In the map

given below the land usage of the area falling under Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation is

given along with blue line demarcating the proposed capital territory. The site is near to the city and is

surrounded by Simhachalam Hill range and Kambalakonda hill range. This territory is shielded from

cyclones, floods, tsunamis and also from any other natural disaster. This area is adjoining city along with

200' BRTS corridor with scanty population and in a picturesque lush green valley with water bodies like

Mudasarlova and Gambeeram. This location can be touted as one of the greenest locations in AP. This

area is well connected with the city by various roads and VUDA has a master plan to construct 200'

roads and 320' NH-5 bypass highway.

The capital shall consists of the following regions

1. Mudasarlova region 2. Adavivaram 3. Dabbanda 4. Sontyam 5. Kambalakonda reserve forest 6. Gambheeram 7. Shambuvanipalem 8. Gidajala 9. Gudilova 10. Duvvapalem-Juttada

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Since on the South a 16Km Simhachalam hill range acts as a natural frontier and hence two tunnels are required one at Narasimhanagar-Mudasarlova about 2kms road (1.5 km tunnel) should be constructing excavating a tunnel which shall reduce the distance shall be reduced by 10 km to Railway station and core of the city. As of now this place is around 15 kms from the city. Similarly for airport connectivity about 3km tunnel at Madhavadhara-Simhachalam needs to be constructed shall reduce the distance to airport by more than 6 Kms. This shall make this location connect with the city core. Already since BRTS is existing in this region what is needed is the Metro connectivity. As of now the metro corridor is from Tagarapuvalasa to Hanumantavaka. This can be extended to capital region from Hanumantavaka and Via two tunnels it can be connected to Railway station and airport with less effort and expenditure.

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LAND USAGE IN GREATER VISAKHAPATNAM MUNICIPAL CORPORATION IN THE YEAR 2010

Sl. No. Land usage 2010

Area occupied (sq.km)

Area in acres

%age of area occupied

Net change over 1998

1 Airport 7.47 1867.5 1.2 0.11

2 Beach sand 2.56 640 0.41 -0.03

3 Built up land 145.52 36380 23.41 12.33

4 Fallow land 38.85 9712.5 6.25 -6.62

5 Forest area 165.51 41377.5 18.34 -9.61

6 Harbour 2.32 580 0.37 0

7 Industrial area 51.75 12937.5 8.32 1.84

8 Plantation 67.56 16890 10.87 0.45

9 Recreational area 10.89 2722.5 1.75 0.12

10 Salt Pans 13.13 3282.5 2.11 -0.57

11 Scrub land 97.99 24497.5 15.76 -1.84

12 Water body 8.18 2045 1.31 -0.18

13 Water logged area 9.79 2447.5 1.57 3.6

Total 621.52 155380

From the above table we get a glimpse of the land usage pattern in GVMC region. Out of 1,55,380 acres of land about 41,377.5 acres, 9,712.5 acres, 16,890 acres and 24,497.5 acres of land is available as forest land, fallow land , plantation area, scrub land respectively. Hence about 92,477.5 acres of land within GVMC is available for expansion which is much higher than 25,000 acres required for a capital city. This area doesn't include area outside GVMC region which may be nothing less than 10,000 acres. The area demarcated has about 17,550 acres of land as forest land and almost to the equal extent land is with Simhachalam devastanam land. As of now in Visakhapatnam city most of the Simhachalam devastatnam lands are under encroachments and hence capital development shall put this land to proper use and shall avert it from being encroached by land sharks. Finally, to conclude, Visakhapatnam is the only natural choice to become new capital of AP. Since

now the mantra is decentralization of capital the second alternative can be Kurnool/Tirupati/Kadapa.