There is a lot of discussion going on about Amaravati as the capital. Many people dream that Amaravati should be the single capital of Andhra Pradesh and grow into a world-class capital city.
People also hope that long-standing aspirations of the state will finally be fulfilled and that past historical mistakes will be corrected through the Amaravati capital project.
While there are no major objections to Amaravati being the capital, there is growing debate among the public over repeated land acquisition drives in the name of capital development.
During his visit to Visakhapatnam, Chalasani Srinivas, president of the Special Category Status and Bifurcation Promises Implementation Committee, spoke to the media and shared his views on Amaravati.
He appealed to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, urging him not to turn Amaravati into a “real estate capital.”
Although the government says Amaravati is a people’s capital, Chalasani’s reference to it becoming a real estate-driven capital has now become a topic of discussion. Many are questioning why he made such a remark.
It is being said that his comments reflect the concerns felt by many people, especially after the second phase of land acquisition in Amaravati.
Chalasani also made critical remarks about development projects in Visakhapatnam.
He said the proposed data centre would not bring much benefit and would generate only around 300 jobs. In contrast, he said protecting the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant could create thousands of jobs.
He criticised the Centre’s claim of allocating ₹14,000 crore for the steel plant, stating that the funds were not being used for its real development.
He questioned how the government could claim it was saving the steel plant while removing nearly 6,000 workers.
“If people are losing their livelihoods, how will anyone believe that the plant is being protected?” he asked.
