Donations pour in for Seemandhra capital

Hyderabad: Donations have started pouring in for Seemandhra capital construction, with a delegation from AP Pensioners Association on Friday calling on the Chief Minister-in-waiting N. Chandrababu Naidu to offer Rs 9 crore. The Association raised the amount from pensioners, who gave up half a day’s pension.

In fact, one Telugu News Channel pitched the idea of seeking donations for the Seemandhra capital and even requested its viewers to respond by creating an “AP Capital Fund.”

However, the offering that took everyone by surprise was by one Satyavani on Thursday, who was actively involved in the agitation of APNGOs to keep the state united a few months back. The woman directly approached Mr Naidu with all her gold jewellery, except for the “mangala sutra” that she was wearing, for the cause of Seemandhra capital.

(Read: Two IAS officials express willingness to work with Chandrababu Naidu)

A visibly stunned Mr Naidu sought former IAS officer Sambasiva Rao, standing by his side, on what to do with the jewellery.

Mr Sambasiva Rao said that since he is yet to be sworn-in as Chief Minister and due to lack of any government machinery to take care of the donations, it was not feasible to keep the jewellery with him.

Mr Sambasiva Rao requested Satyavani to keep the entire jewellery in a bank locker and keep one of the two locker keys with her and another with Mr Naidu till it could be formally handed over to the state. Ms Satyavani readily agreed to the plan.