The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : A raw deal

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

A raw deal

The rulers who claim they are people-friendly government have clearly drawn the wrath of north Andhra by committing some avoidable mistakes in the past as also now. One is about railway facilities.

The hue and cry raised to prevent formation of East Coast Railway, and later the merger of Waltair Division in it at the cost of the region, failed to evoke response.

All new trains continue to pass only via Duvvada at present and in the future as well while every train originating and terminating at Visakhapatnam is being extended up to Bhubaneswar though the gesture is not reciprocated by the other side to bring the Neelachal Express down to Vizag. And the reservation quota of berths on the extended trains keeps dwindling.

The local MP, instead of taking up the issue at the highest level in the Railway Ministry, chooses to address a letter to the General Manager of the zone.

The second issue pertains to the proposed Central University in Vizag that is shifted to Kadapa on the pretext that there is no land available in the district although the Government has thousands of acres of land to set up SEZs and give it on a platter to private companies here.

Former Adviser, Youth Affairs in the Central Government and retired AU professor B.R.K. Raju says that the Planning Commission and the Union Ministry of HRD had already cleared the location for establishment of a Central University in Vizag taking into account all the relevant factors.

But it was essential that the local MP take the initiative and impress upon the Chief Minister not to disturb its location since a people’s movement is building up on the issue.

The local Minister trying to pooh-pooh the issue has also not been taken kindly by the student community.

It is time the Congress party took corrective action and did something to improve berths quota and ensure the Central varsity is set up here.

No land!

What a shame? Perhaps there is no logic to shift such a prestigious project from Visakhapatnam to Kadapa purely on political considerations.

Though the Ministry of Human Resource Development in-principle favoured the establishment of Central University in Visakhapatnam, the State Cabinet recently resolved to shift the university to Kadapa under the pretext that there is no suitable land at the disposal of the government.

Ironically, this has happened after developing cold feet after toying with the idea to confer IIT status on AU Engineering College.

And immediately after the Cabinet decision on shifting to Kadapa, a senior official of the district administration clarified that none contacted them for land for the proposed university.

Is there any dearth of land when government agencies are resorting to sale of precious lands to corporates and big realtors for a song?

The classic instance is the recent allotment of 1,750 acres to a Delhi-based firm for developing Knowledge City at Kapulauppada.

More than a visit

The less temperatures that prevail in the city during summer compared to other parts of the State and the hill station Araku valley are the summer destinations of many.

Most of the Ministers, top officials and the various Government committees don’t miss this point when they visit the district during this season, and have a programme fixed for them in Araku.

The Government Assurances Committee is visiting the district this week and its schedule released by the I and PR Department shows that the city, which is not only the district headquarters but also the second most important city in AP after Hyderabad, is only a transit halt for the committee.

The serious part of its tour lasts just one and a half hours when it scrutinises the implementation of reports of the Government assurances related to Araku with the officials of the two departments.

On its way back it visits the site where an alumina refinery is coming up in S. Kota in Vizianagaram district bordering Visakhapatnam. Incidentally the Government is going ahead with this project in spite of a strong opposition from all sections.

From there the committee reaches Visakhapatnam and catches a train to Hyderabad.

Prabhakkar Sharma, Santosh Patnaik and