Andhra Pradesh has weathered a number of natural calamities. But the real challenge is how it handles the Telangana Issue Debate and telangana verdict that has turned into a cyclone which is scaring investors says Surya Niyogi
Andhra Pradesh is considered to be one of the most important states in India and it is the second largest pilgrim centre in the world after Jerusalem . It is here that the Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple is located which is frequented by the Rich and Famous whether it is Mukesh Ambani or Amitabh Bachchan. But the snowballing Telangana agitation has left the economy of this state in tatters and it seems only Lord Balaji will know what the future has in store for this state.
This state is not new to natural calamities and has weathered a number of calamities that had struck the state to unleash damages. It is exposed to cyclones, storm surges, floods and droughts. A moderate to severe intensity cyclone can be expected to make landfall every two to three years. But the biggest challenge before this state now is how to handle the “Political Cyclone” which has hit the state in the form of Telangana agitation and which is not subsiding.
This state is the third largest economy in the country. It is among the top three states in attracting investments from domestic and foreign investors. The state also has the second longest coastline and is also the largest producer of marine products with 40 per cent share in the country’s exports. But despite these feathers on the crown of Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana agitation has been badly affecting the states economy.
Separatist elements are running riot for the past many days in Telangana demanding statehood for their region. People have taken to the streets in various forms raising their voice in support of the demand.
While the state government has been reduced to a mute spectator to the happenings, the Government of India is blissfully remaining indifferent even as the ruling Congress party is still busy calculating its political “profit-loss” account.
“What all has been done to develop Andhra Pradesh on all fronts over the last seven years has been undone in just 30 days because of the ongoing ‘Sakala Janula Samme’ (strike by cross-section of people), demanding creation of Telangana state. We were close to becoming the number one state in the country in many aspects, particularly industrial development, but we have dipped to the bottom now. It is very hard for the state to recover in the near future.”
This was how a senior minister in the AP Cabinet lamented the other day, echoing the growing disillusionment among different sections of the state ever since the agitation for Telangana suddenly started soaring especially in the last couple of months.
The Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy recently said that the strike has affected agriculture on nearly 70 lakh acres of land which is irrigated by wells and borewells that run on electricity.
“Power generation is getting affected due to the shortage of coal. Although we are trying to buy power and coal from other resources, we are still falling short of about 30 Million Units per day,” he said, adding that unless the production of coal improves it is difficult to supply the required amount of power.
