HPC confers with CM, discusses issues on plan for distributed

: The High-Powered Committee of ministers and bureaucrats on Friday conferred with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and discussed a host of issues related to the governments plan to go in for distributed capital functions.

The HPC gave a PowerPoint presentation to the Chief Minister on its observations so far on the reports of the six-member experts committee and the Boston Consulting Group on the capital issue.

The HPC has so far held three meetings and deliberated on the recommendations of the experts committee and the BCG.

"We will go ahead with our plan in tune with the peoples aspirations.

The Chief Minister told us all steps will be taken for the benefit of the farmers who gave up their lands for the capital.

He suggested that a better package be given to the farmers," Municipal Minister Botsa Satyanarayana told reporters after the meeting.

The Minister feigned ignorance when asked about the move to scrap the AP Capital Region Development Authority Act, in the wake of the plan to shift the capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

The HPC is expected to submit its report in a couple of days before the cabinet meets on January 20 to approve it.

The HPC report will then be placed in the Legislature during the extended winter session beginning on January 20 for discussion upon which the government is expected to come out with its final decision on the state capital issue.

The Chief Minister had on December 17 told the Legislative Assembly that the state could have "three capitals", executive capital in the port city Visakhapatnam, legislative capital in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool, spreading across the three regions of Andhra Pradesh.