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Participating in the discussion on the Amaravati Bill in Parliament, YSR Congress Party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy strongly opposed the bill in its present form on Thursday, calling it an insult to the people of Andhra Pradesh and questioning its intent, legality, and impact on farmers and the state's finances.
He asked how justice would be delivered to 29,000 farmers who gave 34,000 acres under land pooling, pointing out that there is still no clarity on when developed plots will be handed over to Amaravati farmers, according to the party release. He emphasised that the term "capital" is mentioned only for the country in the Constitution, and that even the Union Government has stated through an affidavit that the decision on a state capital lies entirely within the state's jurisdiction. He questioned how, despite this, a bill on the capital is being introduced, noting that when states like Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh were formed, the Centre did not decide their capitals, calling this move "an insult to the people of Andhra Pradesh." YV Subba Reddy also criticised the absence of any mention of Special Category Status in the bill, stating that while the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has long abandoned the demand, YSRCP continues to fight for it. He clarified that YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and YSRCP are not against Amaravati, highlighting that YS Jagan himself built his house and party office there. He further alleged that 50,000 acres have already been acquired without any permanent construction so far, and that the government itself estimates a cost of Rs. 2 crore per acre for basic infrastructure, which would amount to Rs. 1 lakh crore for 50,000 acres and Rs. 2 lakh crore in total. He questioned where such massive funds would come from, warning that interest payments alone could reach Rs. 20,000 crore. Highlighting financial mismanagement, he pointed out that Chandrababu Naidu spent only about Rs. 8,000 crore on Amaravati over seven years, while the current pace of borrowing, Rs. 3.4 lakh crore in just two years, could push the state's debt burden to Rs. 14 lakh crore by 2029, placing an average burden of Rs. 2 lakh on every citizen. He said a government that should provide jobs and secure the future of its people is instead leaving behind a legacy of debt. He further stated that there is substantial evidence indicating Amaravati is prone to flooding, which is why YSRCP proposed shifting the executive capital to Visakhapatnam, a developed city with strong infrastructure and growth potential to compete with cities like Hyderabad and Chennai, while advocating a three-capital model to ensure balanced regional development, with Amaravati as the legislative capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, and Kurnool as the judicial capital in line with the Sri Bagh agreement. He also claimed that while cities like Delhi complete high-quality construction at Rs. 4,000-5,000 per square foot, Amaravati projects are costing over Rs. 12,000 per square foot even after providing free water, electricity, and multiple concessions, questioning where this excess public money is going. Subba Reddy alleged massive corruption scams are being carried out in the name of Amaravati and demanded accountability and transparency from the government. (ANI)
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