Not against Amaravati, but against its corruption-driven expansion: Jagan

Vijayawada: Former chief minister and YSRCP president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday reiterated that his party is not against Amaravati and has consistently supported balanced regional development. He said YSRCP only opposes the "financially unviable and corruption-driven expansion" of Amaravati in its present form. Jagan demanded that the govt declare Machilipatnam–Vijayawada–Guntur (Mavigun corridor) as the capital city corridor to serve as a sustainable growth engine for the state.Stating that the earlier ‘three capitals' proposal was aimed at decentralisation and reducing the financial burden on the state, he accused chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu of misleading people, using Amaravati as a pretext for large-scale borrowing, and engaging in corruption.Jagan questioned the necessity of the recent assembly resolution on Amaravati, pointing out that the Union govt has already clarified that the decision on a state capital lies solely with the respective state. He argued that such resolutions were being used to divert public attention from governance issues and alleged irregularities.Jagan said developing basic infrastructure across the proposed one lakh acres in Amaravati would cost nearly ₹2 lakh crore, as per govt estimates. "When even the first phase of 50,000 acres has not been completed, why expand further?" he asked. He noted that only about ₹8,000 crore has been spent so far, raising concerns over feasibility and timelines. He alleged inflated project costs and irregularities in awarding contracts, claiming that construction costs per square foot in Amaravati were significantly higher than in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bengaluru, despite concessions to contractors.Jagan further alleged that excessive borrowing for Amaravati was hurting welfare and development programmes. He cited stalled works in schools and hospitals, pending dues to employees, and inadequate support for farmers as indicators of financial strain. "We are not against Amaravati or any other region. We are only opposing rampant corruption in the name of Amaravati, how other regions are being neglected, and how welfare and development are grinding to a halt with the single-minded focus on Amaravati," he said.He asked why loans were taken and allocations made in the budget for Amaravati when Naidu had boasted that the capital city was a self-financed model. Alleging that Amaravati was being developed to benefit select interests, Jagan said "irregularities" would eventually come to light. He warned that his party would order a comprehensive probe into the project if voted back to power and take action against those found guilty.