CONCENTRATE ON INFRA FOR ANDHRA

The Telugu Desam Party has asked the Centre to immediately constitute a committee of experts to assess the quantum of funds required to develop a new capital city for Andhra Pradesh state subsequent to the formation of Telangana state. "According to our rough estimates, a staggering Rs 4-5 lakh crore will be required to build a new capital and comprehensively create necessary infrastructure. The new capital should be developed on par with Hyderabad," TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu told reporters here today. Chandrababu placed a set of demands before the Centre to fulfil before completing the formalities related to formation of Telangana state. "The Centre should provide full monetary support for building the new capital. There are a number of central Public Sector Undertakings, research centres and premier educational institutions in Hyderabad. Similar institutions should be built in (new) Andhra Pradesh so that employment opportunities will be available for people of that region. "Besides, the Centre should also settle issues related to water-sharing, power, revenue-sharing and jobs. All these things should be incorporated in the State Re-organisation Bill itself so that people across the regions will not be left with heartburn," Chandrababu said. The experts committee should study all these issues, based on which the Centre should come out with a time-bound action plan and "perfect planning" for the development of a new capital city, he said. The Union Budget currently was Rs 15 lakh crore and would touch Rs 25 lakh crore in the next ten years. Hence, funding should not be a problem, the former Chief Minister pointed out. Simultaneously, efforts should be made to attract private investment as well to develop infrastructure and industries to create more jobs, he added. The TDP supremo said his party respected the "sentiments" of Telangana people and accordingly notified its stand on the state bifurcation issue to the Centre in 2008. "We always stood by our stand," he observed. Though the state would be getting divided in "inevitable circumstances", all Telugu people should stay united without any ill-will, Chandrababu said. "It is the responsibility of the Centre to ensure that Telugus are not left with any heartburn or hatred. It should build confidence among all Telugu people through concrete actions and not mere statements," he said. On the demand being raised by some of his party leaders that Hyderabad be made the "second capital of India", the TDP president recalled that B R Ambedkar had put forth this suggestion years ago. "Let's see how things will shape up," he noted.

LEFT DIVIDED

Left parties were today divided over the Telangana issue with the CPI(M) and RSP opposing it and CPI and Forward Bloc in favour, but all of them wanted the people of Andhra Pradesh to maintain harmony in the wake of the government's decision to go ahead with its formation. The Forward Bloc also sought the creation of a separate state of Vidarbha and the establishing of the second State Reorganisation Committee to "find a justifiable solution on all pending demands of small states once and for all." The decision to create Telangana "seems to have been impelled by the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. It will give a fillip to demands for separate states in other places," the CPI(M) Politburo said in a statement here. The party, which has been opposing the Telangana demand, said it has "always stood for the integrity of the states based on the democratic principle of linguistic states." It accused the Congress and UPA government of taking a decision to divide Andhra Pradesh and creating Telangana "after long procrastination and more than two years after the report submitted by the Srikrishna Committee." CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat earlier said statehood for Telangana would spur such demands in other parts of the country. "The central government will have to take the responsibility to see that there is no further division of states whether it is West Bengal or anywhere else. It should be made clear that you cannot go on having an endless division of a state or creation of new states," he said. But CPI National Secretary D Raja termed the decision as "too late" and said his party had agreed to a separate Telangana "after indepth discussion and considering and exhausting all options".
"All regions of Andhra Pradesh should take this decision in a brotherly manner without any hostility or bitterness," he said.