Capital in Vizag from next academic year: Minister Amarnath

Visakhapatnam: Minister for Industries and IT Gudivada Amarnath said on Thursday that the state capital would start functioning here from the next academic year.

All the hurdles would be cleared by then, he told the media and blamed the opposition TD for these obstacles. “They want their interests in Amaravati protected,” he said.

“The capitalist farmers have gone back but there is no change in the TD stand on the capital issue,’’ Amaranath said.

He said the TD led by two ex-chief ministers, NT Rama Rao and Chandrababu Naidu, ruled Andhra Pradesh for 22 years but the development in north coastal Andhra was abysmal.

Criticising the TD for their three-day agitation programme beginning Friday on Rushikonda, the Daspalla lands issue and drugs, the minister asked, “What is the harm if a guest house is built on Rushikonda and chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy lived in it.”

“As a chief minister, Jagan can live either in the APTDC or APIIC properties. It is not against law,’’ Amarnath said.

He said the TD leaders also fear that if Visakhapatnam is made capital, they would lose money in the real estate business planned in Amaravati and its surroundings.

“Even if Naidu and his package star do a tapasya, the capital will be established in Visakhapatnam,’’ Amarnath asserted.

On the alleged luring of TRS MLAs by the BJP, as was being reported from Hyderabad, Amaranth said. “There is no harm in MLAs changing parties but they should quit their posts and then join the party of their choice. It should not be like what Chandrababu did to YSRC by taking away 23 MLAs.”