Visakhapatnam Known as the City of Destiny, Visakhapatnam holds significant importance as a Lok Sabha constituency, especially as the current YS Congress government has made it the "executive capital" of the state in the context of the concept of the "Three Capitals". It is proposed to be named as.
Presently Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The ruling YSRCP wants to make Visakhapatnam the "executive capital", Amaravati the "legislative capital" and Kurnool the "judicial capital".
The YSRCP will look to retain its seat in the upcoming Parliament elections, while the opposition TDP, which missed out on victory by a narrow margin in 2019, is set to challenge its rival.
In the 2019 Parliament elections, MVV Satyanarayana of YSR Congress defeated his nearest TDP rival M Sribharat by a margin of over 4000 votes.This time, Sribharat has again been fielded, while the YSRCP has fielded minister Satyanarayan's wife Boch Jhansi Lakshmi to take on the TDP.
As the only metropolitan city in the state, Vizag boasts of major infrastructure industries such as sea port, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited and HPC Refinery, which contribute to its multicultural character.
With around 20 lakh voters, the port city has seven assembly constituencies, of which the TD won four in the 2019 assembly elections. However, one of them joined the ruling party, who also holds the post of mayor of the city.
KSRK Raju, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) Visakhapatnam, says while the proposal to make the city the executive capital is welcome, the government should have started creating the necessary infrastructure to sustain the growth.“We welcome the decision to make Visakhapatnam the capital. But before that, the government needs to study what kind of population growth is expected in the coming ten years and what kind of vehicular movement will be seen in the future And the infrastructure will be improved accordingly.” Raju told.
According to him, in the absence of proper infrastructure, Vizag will also suffer from drinking water problems and clogged roads like other cities.
He further said that there is still no major road connectivity to the upcoming international airport at Bhogapuram, about 40 km from here.
Welcoming the state government's proposal, AP Mechanized Fishing Boat Operators Association president Vasupalli Janakiram said job opportunities would increase once the city becomes the capital.He also said that there are around three lakh voters from the fishermen community in Vizag Lok Sabha constituency and they can unite behind the ruling party.
"The state government is constructing fishing ports at various places along the coast. The infrastructure will definitely help our community," he said.
Retired IAS officer EAS Sharma, a prominent citizen of Visakhapatnam, says decentralization of buildings does not equate to decentralization of government.
He believed that once a city is declared the capital, the value of land increases and taxes will also increase accordingly."I believe the whole thing is on paper. This will not benefit the common man...Property tax for the common man will increase. There will be water shortage, congestion and pollution. I do not see any significant benefit (Vishakhapatnam has been made the capital), Sharma said.
Sohan Hatangadi, Vice President, Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens Forum This move does not bode well for Vizag citizens except a few sections."But broadly, it will be irritating for most people, because things like crowds and traffic have increased. A lot of road protests, sirens etc. We don't like it," Hattangadi said.
According to Lakshmi Mukkavalli, president of the Information Technology Association of Andhra Pradesh (iTAAP), about 25,000 workers depend on the I sector in the state, most of which are in Visakhapatnam.
However, he declined to comment on YSR Congress Party proposing Vizag as the state capital.
Presently Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. The ruling YSRCP wants to make Visakhapatnam the "executive capital", Amaravati the "legislative capital" and Kurnool the "judicial capital".
The YSRCP will look to retain its seat in the upcoming Parliament elections, while the opposition TDP, which missed out on victory by a narrow margin in 2019, is set to challenge its rival.
In the 2019 Parliament elections, MVV Satyanarayana of YSR Congress defeated his nearest TDP rival M Sribharat by a margin of over 4000 votes.This time, Sribharat has again been fielded, while the YSRCP has fielded minister Satyanarayan's wife Boch Jhansi Lakshmi to take on the TDP.
As the only metropolitan city in the state, Vizag boasts of major infrastructure industries such as sea port, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited and HPC Refinery, which contribute to its multicultural character.
With around 20 lakh voters, the port city has seven assembly constituencies, of which the TD won four in the 2019 assembly elections. However, one of them joined the ruling party, who also holds the post of mayor of the city.
KSRK Raju, president, Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) Visakhapatnam, says while the proposal to make the city the executive capital is welcome, the government should have started creating the necessary infrastructure to sustain the growth.“We welcome the decision to make Visakhapatnam the capital. But before that, the government needs to study what kind of population growth is expected in the coming ten years and what kind of vehicular movement will be seen in the future And the infrastructure will be improved accordingly.” Raju told.
According to him, in the absence of proper infrastructure, Vizag will also suffer from drinking water problems and clogged roads like other cities.
He further said that there is still no major road connectivity to the upcoming international airport at Bhogapuram, about 40 km from here.
Welcoming the state government's proposal, AP Mechanized Fishing Boat Operators Association president Vasupalli Janakiram said job opportunities would increase once the city becomes the capital.He also said that there are around three lakh voters from the fishermen community in Vizag Lok Sabha constituency and they can unite behind the ruling party.
"The state government is constructing fishing ports at various places along the coast. The infrastructure will definitely help our community," he said.
Retired IAS officer EAS Sharma, a prominent citizen of Visakhapatnam, says decentralization of buildings does not equate to decentralization of government.
He believed that once a city is declared the capital, the value of land increases and taxes will also increase accordingly."I believe the whole thing is on paper. This will not benefit the common man...Property tax for the common man will increase. There will be water shortage, congestion and pollution. I do not see any significant benefit (Vishakhapatnam has been made the capital), Sharma said.
Sohan Hatangadi, Vice President, Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens Forum This move does not bode well for Vizag citizens except a few sections."But broadly, it will be irritating for most people, because things like crowds and traffic have increased. A lot of road protests, sirens etc. We don't like it," Hattangadi said.
According to Lakshmi Mukkavalli, president of the Information Technology Association of Andhra Pradesh (iTAAP), about 25,000 workers depend on the I sector in the state, most of which are in Visakhapatnam.
However, he declined to comment on YSR Congress Party proposing Vizag as the state capital.
