*How is Amaravati better than MAVIGUN?*

Tadepalli, April 14: YSRCP official spokesperson and former MLA Koramutla Srinivasulu stated that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is resorting to diversion politics as he is unable to give a clear answer to the practical and straightforward question raised by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s MAVIGUN capital corridor proposal. Addressing the media at the party central office in Tadepalli, he asked how Amaravati is a better option than MAVIGUN and said the government is deliberately avoiding this debate while indulging in personal attacks and character assassination to mislead the public.

He stated that the Amaravati project itself requires around Rs 2 lakh crore just for basic infrastructure such as roads, drainage, water, and electricity across nearly one lakh acres, with building costs being additional, and questioned whether this massive burden is not a liability on the people of the state. He pointed out that Chandrababu spent only about Rs 8,000 crore in seven years, and asked how many more decades it would take to complete such a project at this pace. He questioned how such huge funds would be mobilized when the government is already struggling to pay salaries and is dependent on borrowings, and whether such levels of debt are even feasible.

Srinivasulu further stated that the government claims Amaravati is a self-financed project while simultaneously taking loans with government guarantees and making budgetary allocations, exposing a clear contradiction. He questioned how the government can claim land values of Rs 10 crore per acre when it admits to having only 5,000 acres and there is no clarity on who would purchase such land at those rates, warning that the financial burden will ultimately fall on the people of the state.

He also raised serious concerns over inflated construction costs, stating that while buildings in cities like Tadepalli, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad are constructed at Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000 per square foot, contracts in Amaravati are being awarded at around Rs 14,000 per square foot, with indications that costs may rise further. He questioned whether such rates exist anywhere in the country for government buildings. He further asked why contracts awarded in 2018 were cancelled and then re-awarded to the same contractors at higher rates, why tender documents were removed from the website, and why information is not being provided under RTI.

He stated that even after providing concessions such as free land, free sand, GST exemptions, and other incentives, such high contract values raise serious questions, and asked why only a few companies are being allowed to participate while others are not coming forward. He said these questions remain unanswered as the government lacks the courage to respond and is instead engaging in diversion tactics and personal attacks against YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Srinivasulu emphasized that the MAVIGUN model, connecting Machilipatnam, Vijayawada, and Guntur across a 110 km corridor, offers a practical alternative that can be developed with just about Rs 20,000 crore—one-tenth of Amaravati’s projected cost—and can function as a capital from day one by leveraging an existing population of over 35 lakh and established economic activity. He questioned why the government is ignoring such a viable option and continuing to push a high-cost project in a region lacking population and economic base. He concluded by stating that Chandrababu should stop diversion politics and answer these fundamental questions honestly, as the people are closely watching.