The capital woes of Andhra Pradesh may not end anytime soon. While CM Jagan is hell bent on shifting Executive Capital to Vizag, there seems to be so many teething issues which may further delay the capital shifting process. Even as the controversy surrounding Legislative Council’s decision to send bill to Select Committee is yet to be resolved, fresh reports emerged that Indian Navy has written a letter to CM Jagan opposing his idea to start the Secretariat at Millenium Towers in Rushikonda, Vizag citing security reasons.
Some media reports stated that Navy had opposed the idea of making Vizag as the state capital as it is in the proximity of INS Kalinga which is very crucial for the nation’s security and announcing the city as the state capital would further intensify the alleged ‘risk’ for the city. Spread over an area of 734.1 acres, INS Kalinga is responsible for preparing, storing and delivering advanced missiles to ships of the Eastern Fleet. Reporting to the Eastern Naval Command, Kalinga plays a significant role in Indian Navy.
Given that Vizag is in the hit list of Pakistan due to its Indian Navy establishment, Navy reportedly asked the state government to reconsider its decision to make it as Executive Capital as the capital would bring in a lot of population and also makes it more sensitive target for the enemies.
Meanwhile, Indian Navy and AP state government are yet to officially corroborate these media reports. It needs to check whether Navy has officially communicated to CMO or not. As of now, doubts shrouding over Vizag as AP capital have increased further. Also, the woes of farmers in Amravati who voluntarily contributed land to APCRDA are going through difficult phase. The farmers are continuing their protests and mounting pressure on state government which is unfazed over the severe criticism and protests.
