KURNOOL: Putting to rest all speculation about the permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said on Friday that it will be located in Vijayawada-Guntur region “This stretch has many advantages over others like Rayalaseema and Donakonda. Besides being geographically central, the capital should also attract investors. A backward region cannot attract the massive investments required for the all-round development of the capital,” the AP CM told journalists after unfurling the tricolour and delivering the Independence Day speech here.Repudiating the charges that he had personal interest in taking the capital to Vijayawada, Naidu said they were motivated comments. “Every man is selfish to some extent. As for the capital location, I have eschewed my selfishness. Had I been selfish, I would have taken the capital to Tirupati, where 3,000 acres of land is available right in front of my own residence,” he said.However, the K S Sivaramakrishnan Committee has favoured a decentralised capital or one where vast tract of land is available like in Donakonda in Prakasam district. It was also of the view that a purely administrative capital would not require investments. Various experts had also pointed out that the development of the Vijayawada-Guntur region as the capital would lead to the loss of fertile land and eventually bring down foodgrain production of the state.Andhra Pradesh chief minister N.Chandra Babu Naidu hoisting the tri-color on the 68th Independence Day at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. (PTI Photo)Earlier, while delivering the Independence Day speech, Naidu promised to develop Kurnool into a major industrial centre. Promising to fast track the development of the district, the chief minister unveiled three projects for the district, Kurnool region (Orvakal) as a mega industrial area, Nandyal as the seed capital of the country and Adoni as the textile and apparel hub, all in lieu of Kurnool being made the capital.Naidu went out of his way to unfold his mega developmental plan for the Rayalaseema region in general and Kurnool in particular by declaring that Kurnool town would become the state’s first Smart City. Laying emphasis on Orvakal, the globally known SHG village, the CM said a mammoth manufacturing township would come up near the village, which is 27 km from Kurnool. “About 30,000 acres of land is available near Orvakal. Plenty of water is also at hand. This is a mineral-rich region. Hardware park, manufacturing units and mineral-based industries will be set up in the township,” he said and added that he would soon appoint an expert group to work out the details of the mega project. Naidu also said the township would have an airport along with institutes like IIIT.Trying to placate the people of the district, who have been agitating for the capital as per the now-forgotten Sri Bagh Pact, Naidu offered everything for the district except the capital. He said the city would be home to the Rayalaseema Institute of Medical Sciences on the lines of AIIMS. “The agricultural college near Nandyal will be made a deemed university and we would work to make Kurnool district the country’s seed capital in association with companies of international repute,” he said.Similarly, the cotton crop belt of Adoni-Yemmiganur areas would be developed into a textile and apparel hub. Referring to the geographical location and the extent of mineral and water wealth in the district, the AP CM said he would immediately swing into action to make the Handri-Neeva project fully functional. Naidu also said the TDP government had plans to irrigate about 80,000 acres in dryland area of Alur by tapping 10 TMC water from local water resources. Similarly, he said, the district’s popular piligrimage centres such as Srisailam, Ahobilam, Yaganti, Mahanandi and Mantralayam would be developed into a tourist hub.Meanwhile, Kurnool capital activists were skeptical about the realization of the projects Naidu announced on I-Day. “We will wait for some time to see any progress on the ground. The CM’s speech is full of promises. We wanted Kurnool to be made the capital as it brings growth. If the CM’s words are empty, he will face the wrath of the people,” said Chandrasekhar Kalkura, an activist. Former mayor S Raghurami Reddy said the CM’s speech was only a sugar-coated pill. “There is no alternative for the capital with regard to development. If you (Naidu) wants to take the capital to a region which is already developed, the people here feel cheated and it will have its consequences,” Reddy warned.