AP irked by meagre allocation in Budget for Amaravati, Polavaram

Andhra Pradesh feels badly neglected in the Union Budget as no substantial allocations have been made for the State, especially for the construction of the new capital or for the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari. The Budget has elicited widespread criticism on this count from all political parties in the State except BJP, which is an ally of the ruling TDP, and several others.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in a message, expressed disappointment lamenting that his multiple visits to New Delhi had yielded no results and his pleas for special assistance for the State after bifurcation had also gone unheeded.

There is no mention of the new capital for the State, Amaravati, in the Budget and only ₹100 crore has been allocated for the Vijayawada metro and a similar amount for the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari.

Bifurcation Act The Polavaram project has been declared a national project and included in the AP Bifurcation Act but to the chagrin of the State government and the people of the State, no substantial allocation has been made so far. Even in the last Budget, only ₹100 crore was allocated for the project.

Even in the Railway Budget, there was no mention of the promised new rail zone for Andhra Pradesh. It was widely expected that the Centre would form a new railway zone, with Visakhapatnam as the headquarters.

Vizag metro The Finance Minister has allocated ₹1 lakh for Vizag metro and the allocations for the new educational institutions in the State are also not substantial. A sum of ₹30 crore has been allocated for the IIM here.