Capital issue needs transparency, asks YSRCP

Hyderabad, July 26: Questioning the authenticity of the Advisory Committee set up by TDP Government for identifying the place for developing State Capital, YSR Congress has said that the five-member Sivaramakrishnan Committee, constituted by the Centre for the same cause, should take opposition parties and all stakeholders into confidence and should function in a transparent manner.

'TDP government setting up a parallel Committee, with industrialists, is redundant and the Sivaramakrishnan Panel, which arrived in the city yesterday, meeting the Chief Minister and not taking any other sections into confidence, is objectionable,' party senior leader Dr MV Mysoora Reddy told reporters here on Saturday.

The expert committee, headed by former Urban Development Secretary KC Sivaramakrishnan should hold discussions with all the political parties and other stake holders and tour all the districts of the state before giving its recommendations on where to set up the capital city for Andhra Pradesh.

It should take up the responsibility in all earnestness and should not just conduct the proceedings in a matter-of-fact manner and complete the formality as the issue pertains to the capital city which has to be developed as a model city.

The Advisory Committee members and the top leadership dropping hints that a particular place will in all likelihood be an ideal place for capital has jacked up the price of land in that region and such statements are likely to influence the Sivaramakrishnan Committee, he said.

The Advisory Committee, which has no experts but industrialists, passing remarks will benefit only realtors and syndicates and influence the Central Committee which has been vested the responsibility of identifying the place suitable for state capital.

The TDP government is trying to acquire private land to benefit some of its leaders and this could prove to be a very costly affair as it will benefit some of the realtors and syndicate members and the line of approach is only on commercial lines instead of considering other factors.

There should be a scientific approach in identifying the capital and the place should be acceptable to all the sections of the people. Initially 30,000 acres of government land should be identified and even there is some forest land the State Reorganisation Act has made provision to de-notify it.

Instead if the state goes for private lands, the process would be cumbersome and create a neo rich class with boom in land and acquiring it is not worth.

Instead, if government land is acquired some per cent of the land can be given to private sector and development cess can be collected which will fund the building of the state capital. We have suggested such measures to the State which is inclined towards acquiring private lands and the Advisory Committee is totally redundant, he said.

The Sivaramakrishnan Committee should also talk to a cross section of people on the capital issue and tour all the 13 districts before giving its recommendations, he said.