VIZAG TO DRIVE GROWTH OF SEEMANDHRA

Coastal cities of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagram are likely to attract incremental investment in Seemandhra while Hyderabad will continue to retain appeal as global hub of business activities, industry body Assocham said today. "We only hope that the political turmoil over the Telangana issue is over and the two new states will flourish even more after creation of Telangana. The special package and status to Seemandhra will make it an attractive centre of industrial investment," Assocham president Rana Kapoor said. "The locational advantages of Visakhapatnam being an important port city along with a well laid-out railway network will make the area a very attractive business proposition since the new investment will be eligible for a tax holiday," he said. Special efforts should also made to pump in development funds in the Rayalaseema region, which remains a backward area whereas the coastal Andhra is blessed with agricultural prosperity and natural advantage of rivers, he said. The new government at the Centre (after the Lok Sabha elections) should place special emphasis on development of the backward areas throughout the country, be it Naxal-affected eastern India or some areas in southern and northern India which have not been able to keep pace with the rest of the country, he added.