05-10-2005, 11:31 PM
Deccan Chronicle op-ed on YSR'e term so far dated 10 May 2005.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->YSRâs future agenda
By Syed Amin Jafri
<b>In his first year in office, Chief Minister Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy has quietly but deliberately followed a two-pronged strategy on the issue of separate Telangana state.</b> Firstly, he has sought to create a situation where the constitution of a second States Reorganisation Commission is inevitable to go into the demand for separate Telangana state along with similar pleas for creation of smaller states.
This only means delaying the advent of separate Telangana for some more years. <b>Secondly, YSR has been aggressively promoting the development of coastal Andhra region in general and Visakhapatnam in particular,</b> keeping in view the eventuality of Telangana becoming a reality some day.
Vizag, which has been touted by the earlier regimes as a City of Destiny, is truly poised to become a city of opportunity with the big push being given by YSR. It is not that the Congress government is neglecting Hyderabad even a wee bit. <b>YSR has many big plans for Hyderabad, including a knowledge corridor and three IT parks in Cyberabad area, two IT corridors on either side of the Musi river, a string of star hotels, 12 new satellite townships with two lakh houses, MRTS, five flyovers to decongest the city, apart from the Outer Ring Road, Shamshabad international airport, MMTS stage II project and gas-based metro power station. </b>
<b>The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority has drawn up the master plan for the metropolitan area for the year 2021, envisaging eight new bridges across Musi, 20 new flyovers, six sewerage treatment plants and four garbage disposal sites, 1,300 kms of new roads and a 75,000-acre increase in residential and development area to cater to a population of 136 lakh. Most of these projects, entailing massive investment totalling several thousands of crores, will be implemented in the next four to five years. </b>Some of them will be taken up under public-private partnership mode and some others exclusively in the private or public sector.
<b>At the same time, the Congress government does not want to put all its eggs in one basket. Mega plans are on the anvil to spread out industries, infrastructure projects, Information Technology and tourism ventures to other areas of the state, more particularly the coastal belt, even while focusing on backward Telangana and Rayalaseema regions. </b>The idea behind this game plan is simple. In case Telangana state is formed some day, the future Andhra state (comprising coastal and Rayalaseema) will not be found lacking in assets to compensate for the loss of Hyderabad.
<b>It is not without reason that some political leaders from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra have started talking about the future of Hyderabad in the event of formation of Telangana state. </b>Panchayat Raj Minister Mr J. C. Diwakar Reddy has demanded a union territory status for Hyderabad because, he claims, the people from all the regions contributed to the tremendous growth of the state capital over the last five decades. Similarly, other leaders have raised the demand for making Hyderabad the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra states when AP is bifurcated. Â
No wonder, such demands have raised the hackles of Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr A. Narendra. Blaming âAndhra power-brokersâ for inflaming Telangana sentiments by clamouring for union territory or joint capital status for Hyderabad, KCR asserted âPeople of Telangana have the right to retain Hyderabad.
We will have it as our capital. Only a fool can make such a nonsensical demand for joint capital because the shortest distance between Hyderabad and any part of coastal Andhra or Rayalaseema is 200 kms. No fool will be willing to travel this distance in a neighbouring state to reach his capital city.â
It is obvious that Union territory status for Hyderabad could be an option that would be considered if Telangana is formed. <b>To prepare for such an eventuality, it is significant that Huda has proposed to extend the jurisdiction of the authority by 300 square kms by incorporating some areas from Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Medak districts, apart from Ranga Reddy, into the metropolitan area. </b>
This will effectively protect the huge land-holdings, real estate and other prime properties owned or promoted by people who are called âsettlersâ in Telangana parlance. <b> With massive development of Hyderabad planned to the exclusion of other districts in Telangana, the Andhra leadership wants to give the signal that it cannot hand over Hyderabad exclusively to Telangana state but would prefer to have Hyderabad as a union territory due to its business, economic, socio-political and strategic importance. A string of defence research and production facilities, nuclear fuel complex and army and airforce installations make it a vital city which cannot be in the hands of a regime with parochial propensities. </b>
The latest demand made by Rayalaseema Hakkulu Ikya Vedika that Kurnool should be made the second capital of AP adds a new dimension to the ongoing controversy on the future status of Hyderabad. âRayalaseema must have a second capital to undo the injustice done to it in the last 50 years,â Ikya Vedika leader and former Telugu Desam MLA T. G. Venkatesh has demanded.
The Ikya Vedika also sought Rs 50,000 crore as compensation from the Centre in case of formation of Telangana state. Its reasoning is that the shifting of capital from Kurnool (when it formed part of Andhra state during 1953-56) to Hyderabad after formation of AP in 1956 caused this massive loss over the last five decades. The Vedika has voiced other demands, too, like allocation of Krishna water exclusively to Rayalaseema and diversion of Go-davari water to Krishna delta.
If the former chief minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, sought to market Hyderabad as CEO of AP Inc, his successor wants to showcase the strengths of the coastal Andhra region as the land of opportunities. At a recent review meeting, <b>YSR considered a major initiative for integrated development of the coastal corridor from Srikakulam to Nellore districts with focus on industrialisation, infrastructure and utilities and socio-economic sector. </b>
In the first phase, the corridor will 73 mandals in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vizag and East Godavari. Phase II will cover West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
As part of the project, a four-lane coastal highway will be developed.
The blueprint envisages development of ports, air links, roads, rail networks, communications facilities and initiatives in industrialisation, tourism, recreation and IT and establishment of townships and techno-city. The master plan also proposes establishment of a new coastal sea route for transportation of goods and materials, new fishing landing grounds and associate infrastructure.
The Chief Minister even wanted the Telugu film industry to develop Vizag as another Tollywood hub! The coastal corridor is just one aspect of the massive investment plans for the coastal belt, particularly from Vizag to Kakinada. Expansion of Vizag Steel Plant, naval dockyard, Vizag port and Visakha Refinery, development of Gangavaram port, establishment of special economic zone, pharma city and an IT corridor between Vizag and Anakapalli, Volkswagen plant and a host of projects in petroleum/petrochemicals/gas and mining sectors are on the anvil.
Hyderabad as future union territory and Vizag as the City of Destiny are okay but what about the other places in the backward Telangana and Rayalaseema regions? With the two sons of Rayalaseema soil, Mr Chandrababu Naidu and YSR, focusing their attention on Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam respectively, who will act as the visionary for the all-round development of faction-ridden and drought-prone Rayalaseema? Any guesses?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->YSRâs future agenda
By Syed Amin Jafri
<b>In his first year in office, Chief Minister Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy has quietly but deliberately followed a two-pronged strategy on the issue of separate Telangana state.</b> Firstly, he has sought to create a situation where the constitution of a second States Reorganisation Commission is inevitable to go into the demand for separate Telangana state along with similar pleas for creation of smaller states.
This only means delaying the advent of separate Telangana for some more years. <b>Secondly, YSR has been aggressively promoting the development of coastal Andhra region in general and Visakhapatnam in particular,</b> keeping in view the eventuality of Telangana becoming a reality some day.
Vizag, which has been touted by the earlier regimes as a City of Destiny, is truly poised to become a city of opportunity with the big push being given by YSR. It is not that the Congress government is neglecting Hyderabad even a wee bit. <b>YSR has many big plans for Hyderabad, including a knowledge corridor and three IT parks in Cyberabad area, two IT corridors on either side of the Musi river, a string of star hotels, 12 new satellite townships with two lakh houses, MRTS, five flyovers to decongest the city, apart from the Outer Ring Road, Shamshabad international airport, MMTS stage II project and gas-based metro power station. </b>
<b>The Hyderabad Urban Development Authority has drawn up the master plan for the metropolitan area for the year 2021, envisaging eight new bridges across Musi, 20 new flyovers, six sewerage treatment plants and four garbage disposal sites, 1,300 kms of new roads and a 75,000-acre increase in residential and development area to cater to a population of 136 lakh. Most of these projects, entailing massive investment totalling several thousands of crores, will be implemented in the next four to five years. </b>Some of them will be taken up under public-private partnership mode and some others exclusively in the private or public sector.
<b>At the same time, the Congress government does not want to put all its eggs in one basket. Mega plans are on the anvil to spread out industries, infrastructure projects, Information Technology and tourism ventures to other areas of the state, more particularly the coastal belt, even while focusing on backward Telangana and Rayalaseema regions. </b>The idea behind this game plan is simple. In case Telangana state is formed some day, the future Andhra state (comprising coastal and Rayalaseema) will not be found lacking in assets to compensate for the loss of Hyderabad.
<b>It is not without reason that some political leaders from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra have started talking about the future of Hyderabad in the event of formation of Telangana state. </b>Panchayat Raj Minister Mr J. C. Diwakar Reddy has demanded a union territory status for Hyderabad because, he claims, the people from all the regions contributed to the tremendous growth of the state capital over the last five decades. Similarly, other leaders have raised the demand for making Hyderabad the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra states when AP is bifurcated. Â
No wonder, such demands have raised the hackles of Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr A. Narendra. Blaming âAndhra power-brokersâ for inflaming Telangana sentiments by clamouring for union territory or joint capital status for Hyderabad, KCR asserted âPeople of Telangana have the right to retain Hyderabad.
We will have it as our capital. Only a fool can make such a nonsensical demand for joint capital because the shortest distance between Hyderabad and any part of coastal Andhra or Rayalaseema is 200 kms. No fool will be willing to travel this distance in a neighbouring state to reach his capital city.â
It is obvious that Union territory status for Hyderabad could be an option that would be considered if Telangana is formed. <b>To prepare for such an eventuality, it is significant that Huda has proposed to extend the jurisdiction of the authority by 300 square kms by incorporating some areas from Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Medak districts, apart from Ranga Reddy, into the metropolitan area. </b>
This will effectively protect the huge land-holdings, real estate and other prime properties owned or promoted by people who are called âsettlersâ in Telangana parlance. <b> With massive development of Hyderabad planned to the exclusion of other districts in Telangana, the Andhra leadership wants to give the signal that it cannot hand over Hyderabad exclusively to Telangana state but would prefer to have Hyderabad as a union territory due to its business, economic, socio-political and strategic importance. A string of defence research and production facilities, nuclear fuel complex and army and airforce installations make it a vital city which cannot be in the hands of a regime with parochial propensities. </b>
The latest demand made by Rayalaseema Hakkulu Ikya Vedika that Kurnool should be made the second capital of AP adds a new dimension to the ongoing controversy on the future status of Hyderabad. âRayalaseema must have a second capital to undo the injustice done to it in the last 50 years,â Ikya Vedika leader and former Telugu Desam MLA T. G. Venkatesh has demanded.
The Ikya Vedika also sought Rs 50,000 crore as compensation from the Centre in case of formation of Telangana state. Its reasoning is that the shifting of capital from Kurnool (when it formed part of Andhra state during 1953-56) to Hyderabad after formation of AP in 1956 caused this massive loss over the last five decades. The Vedika has voiced other demands, too, like allocation of Krishna water exclusively to Rayalaseema and diversion of Go-davari water to Krishna delta.
If the former chief minister, Mr Chandrababu Naidu, sought to market Hyderabad as CEO of AP Inc, his successor wants to showcase the strengths of the coastal Andhra region as the land of opportunities. At a recent review meeting, <b>YSR considered a major initiative for integrated development of the coastal corridor from Srikakulam to Nellore districts with focus on industrialisation, infrastructure and utilities and socio-economic sector. </b>
In the first phase, the corridor will 73 mandals in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Vizag and East Godavari. Phase II will cover West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
As part of the project, a four-lane coastal highway will be developed.
The blueprint envisages development of ports, air links, roads, rail networks, communications facilities and initiatives in industrialisation, tourism, recreation and IT and establishment of townships and techno-city. The master plan also proposes establishment of a new coastal sea route for transportation of goods and materials, new fishing landing grounds and associate infrastructure.
The Chief Minister even wanted the Telugu film industry to develop Vizag as another Tollywood hub! The coastal corridor is just one aspect of the massive investment plans for the coastal belt, particularly from Vizag to Kakinada. Expansion of Vizag Steel Plant, naval dockyard, Vizag port and Visakha Refinery, development of Gangavaram port, establishment of special economic zone, pharma city and an IT corridor between Vizag and Anakapalli, Volkswagen plant and a host of projects in petroleum/petrochemicals/gas and mining sectors are on the anvil.
Hyderabad as future union territory and Vizag as the City of Destiny are okay but what about the other places in the backward Telangana and Rayalaseema regions? With the two sons of Rayalaseema soil, Mr Chandrababu Naidu and YSR, focusing their attention on Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam respectively, who will act as the visionary for the all-round development of faction-ridden and drought-prone Rayalaseema? Any guesses?
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