Birth of Telangana as the 29th State of India may have filled the residents of the newly born State with expectations of rosy days ahead but for those whose heart beats for Seemandhra the road ahead is rough and full of challenges. For Andhraites belonging to Seemandhra it is now time to give a befitting reply to the advocates of a separate Telangana.
Telangana came into existence at the stroke of Sunday midnight and so did Seemandhra but the divided States will be united by a common capital, Hyderabad, for the next 10 years besides the language, Telugu.
Andhraites might have held their tears back attempting to digest the news of a divided motherland as a result of prolonged protest by the people of Telangana but they believe that it is time to concentrate on the model of growth for Seemandhra. The bill to carve Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh was passed in February 2014.
“Whatever has happened is now a thing of past. My congratulations to the people of Telangana and suggestions to the leaders of Seemandhra to focus on developing the State instead of mourning the division,” said TA Rao, who has roots in Sompeta of Srikakulam district.
However, resource distribution has brewed discontent among the Andhraites living in Ranchi and adjoining areas. While Telangana stands blessed with rich mineral reserves Seemandhra has to rely on natural resources to travel the road to prosperity. People now belonging to Seemandhra are seeking solace in the rich natural resources and a vast fisheries business thriving in the region. Interestingly, residents of Seemandhra are now looking at N Chandrababu Naidu to lead the State on the path of development. Post division Seemandhra will be left with Visakhapatnam as the only industrial zone significant from the economy point of view.
“We are feeling like orphan after the division. However, we have high hopes from Chandrababu Naidu as we all know his role in the development of Hyderabad. He could develop the entire Seemandhra like Hyderabad,” maintained Puspa Reddy, a Jharkhand born resident of Seemandhra.
The simmering anger over injustice done in terms of resource distribution is too grave for some of the residents of Ranchi belonging to Seemandhra region to forget. The pain that did not appear on the day when Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation was approved by the Upper House of Parliament surfaced today. With anger they now want their government to relieve their pain through development.
“Injustice has been done. let us hope that the next government does something to bridge the imbalance that has been created because of unjustified resource allocation,” maintained Venkat Rao, working as Travelling Ticket Examiner at Ranchi.