Yadiki (Andhra Pradesh), April 6 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu accused YSRCP supremo Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday of falsely accusing the state of corruption while the construction of the new capital, Amaravati, is progressing well and development is taking place.
Naidu stated that Jagan Mohan Reddy was making these accusations out of frustration and a lack of acceptance, given the positive progress of the Amaravati project.
Naidu also criticized Jagan Mohan Reddy's proposal, MAVIGUN, which aimed to designate Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur as a capital corridor. He described the proposal as "absurd" and said that Jagan Mohan Reddy was unwilling to even mention Amaravati.
Naidu further stated that he didn't understand the "madness" of the MAVIGUN proposal.
On April 1, Jagan had advised Naidu to designate the MAVIGUN region as the capital area or corridor of Andhra Pradesh, calling the Rs 2 lakh crore Amaravati project "impractical".
Jagan argued that MAVIGUN would require only a tenth of the Rs 2 lakh crore being spent on building the greenfield capital city from scratch.
He also pointed out that the distance between Machilipatnam and Vijayawada is 75 km, and between Vijayawada and Guntur is 40 km, creating a 110 km stretch that is already well-connected by a National Highway, unlike Amaravati.
Naidu also emphasized that Amaravati is "the capital of goddesses" and that mentioning its name would bring "blessings".
Referring to the recent passage of the Amaravati Bill in Parliament, which recognized the city as the state capital, Naidu stated that Andhra Pradesh previously had no clear capital, but now can proudly call Amaravati its capital.
Naidu also mentioned the previous government's capital trifurcation plan, which he described as "mudu mukkala ata" (three-card monte), and added that Amaravati is now the people's capital.
He asserted that Andhra Pradesh has only one capital, and that is Amaravati.
He also noted that all political parties, except the YSRCP, supported Amaravati in Parliament.
He further stated that the YSRCP’s opposition to Amaravati amounted to "betraying the state".
In addition to this, Naidu stated that water is wealth, and its careful use can generate more prosperity, promising irrigation for every acre in the state.
Participating in the ‘Jaladhara–Water Security & Responsibility of Water Users Associations’ programme, the CM launched a 100-day action plan, including a dedicated app.
Emphasising that the plan aims to conserve water, he said the government is working across the state to ensure that flowing water is stalled, stalled water is stored, and stored water is routed to reservoirs.
He added that check dams and other methods will be employed to conserve water, noting that groundwater levels have risen by nearly two metres due to these efforts.
With the availability of 5.7 TMC of water, Naidu said 20,000 dried-out bores now have water, and one district saved up to Rs 96 crore in electricity costs.
According to the CM, Kharif crops statewide require 547 TMC of water, Rabi 343 TMC, industries 28 TMC, and drinking water needs 158 TMC, totalling 1,300 TMC.
He said rising groundwater has increased green cover, calling these developments favourable, and issued other important guidelines to officials.
Naidu also noted that drip irrigation was introduced in Anantapur district, with the TDP providing a 90 per cent subsidy for the method.
Currently, Andhra Pradesh leads the country in micro-irrigation, allocating Rs 1,031 crore, with drip irrigation boosting Rayalaseema to the top position in horticulture nationwide.