Over the last few days, there has been an increased interest in my part of the state — Uttarandhra.
We live in times when politicians use any means possible to get themselves into power. Even if it means splitting their people in whatever way they can — region, language, religion, caste, gender, identity, anything. Whenever elections come close, we are reminded of all the ways in which we are different and why we need special representation. Uttarandhra is no different. The term Uttarandhra has been fostered onto us to give us a specific identity which serves no real purpose except to give politicians an additional platform to fight from. Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam were part of the Kalinga empire long ago, and after Andhra Pradesh was created, were merged into this state as the area’s language and culture has always been Telugu.
Divisive politicians have been warning of a struggle for identity like in Telangana, and they can’t be more wrong. While the Telangana agitation may have gained momentum because of politics, the issue has been around for a long time. There’s nothing of the sort here! With good reason. Lets see why. Come, journey with me into my beautiful region.
Visakhapatnam is the primary city in Andhra Pradesh and has made its way into the top 10 cities in the country in terms of GDP. It has a strong identity as gateway to the east coast of India and has been growing steadily for many years now. After bifurcation, the city has become the crown jewel of the new state and is the showcase to bring in investments. The administration is quite clear about what they’re doing, and while Rayalaseema is attracting industrial investments, Vizag is being showcased as an alternate IT destination, and as a leisure and convention getaway. The city has always been clean, but in recent times, has become a city which makes the nation proud. Whether cricketers or Bill Gates, industrialists or diplomats, everyone has been full of praise when they visited the region. Petroleum corridor, new educational institutions like IIM and Law University and others have radically altered the fortunes of one part of the district — Sabbavaram — Chodavaram — Anandapuram belt. Coffee is changing the fortunes of the hill areas — Araku and Paderu. Araku Coffee is gaining international prominence as one of the best shade-grown coffees of the world, and its brand is being bolstered by industry-leaders like Anand Mahindra, who’re taking the coffee global. Better connectivity in the area are leading to greater funding, infrastructure upgradation, better education, health, and sanitation. One visit to the area will prove this to us as we drive through the hamlets. The other side of the hills connecting from Paderu to Rampa Chodavaram is one of the best forest drives in the country. One of the most avoided parts of the state has become accessible and progress is evident, thanks to a significant reduction in Naxal activities and greater connectivity. Vizag urban has expanded to include Anakapalli and Bheemunipatnam and is unquestionably one of India’s best cities to live in.
Vizianagaram, the cultural capital of our state, has always been at the forefront in education and art. The area has produced stalwarts in various fields and every lane is steeped in history. The city has been witnessing gentrification after decades of being ignored. This year, Vizianagaram was declared Swacch Champion at national level! For anyone who’s not been to the city in the last few years, that’s an unthinkable achievement. Malls, bustling traffic, hotels, ring roads, a well-planned cantonment area, apartments, prosperity is clearly visible. The 4-lane road widening from Vizag to Vizianagaram is almost complete. Road traffic to Raipur and into Chattisgarh goes all the way through the district upto Salur, and that traffic will increase further as Chattisgarh’s economy grows, as connectivity to Vizag port and to the NH-16 become more crucial. Bobbili, Parvatipuram, Gajapatinagaram, have all become important towns with significant GDP contribution. Bobbili APIIC has been around for a while now and will generate further employment as logistical connectivity gets better. Alamanda mango market, S.Kota being a trade hub, make Vizianagaram an agriculturally important district. The big change, though, is on the other side. National highway passes right through Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam districts, and the economic change that this highway has brought cannot be written about in one article. The recently mooted Bhogapuram airport falls in Vizianagaram district right on NH-16, and once that comes about, there’ll be a renewed economic spurt in the region. Vizag currently uses an airport partly owned by the Navy and there is no more expansion possible.
Srikakulam district is just a few minutes away from the proposed new airport at Bhogapuram and has the distinct advantage of being almost entirely on the national highway — right up to Icchapuram which forms the border with Odisha. Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers are the lifeline of the region, and work to interlink these two rivers is underway with the interlink canal planned from Hiramandalam reservoir to Narayanapuram barrage. For a largely agri-based region, this will make water more accessible and bring a greater percentage of land under cultivation for the second crop. Ranasthalam and Pydibheemavaram SEZ is already quite successful and has become a pharma hub with large companies like Dr Reddy, Aurobindo, Matrix etc bringing a big % of their production facilities here. They have become big employers and every other home in scores of villages has members working in the SEZ. All this development happened over the last decade. As these organizations have been growing, they’ve set up ancillary units, some in the Vizag pharma SEZ, and have moved senior positions and research labs to the region, making these operations more crucial. Palasa is one of the nation’s top producers and processors of cashew nut. Rajam is the home base of GMR industries and the region has several jute mills. As the fibre regains prominence (as is happening already), that belt will benefit. Narasannapeta is a prosperous trade hub for rice. Srikakulam has several good-sized towns like Tekkali, Amadalavalasa, Icchapuram, and Palakonda, all well connected, with most of them also having a rail line because of the district’s geographical advantage.
Now that you know my area much better than many of these speech-reading politicians, lets wrap it up by talking a bit about the way forward. If Visakhapatnam has become a top-10 GDP city in the country, it is not just because of the city. It is because Vizag is the hub for these 3 districts, and for much of the Godavari districts. Vizag’s prosperity has spread across the region, and many industries in the belt have set up here because of the logistical convenience Vizag offers — of road, rail, sea, and air. It is a rare combination, and is yielding benefits for all. Once Polavaram is complete, much of Visakhapatnam’s water needs will be met by Godavari excess water. Already Vizag steel plant has Godavari water coming to it and that is one reason its capacity is being upgraded. Once Bhogapuram airport becomes operational, it will become equidistant to all 3 district headquarters — Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam. Like Hyderabad airport did to adjoining districts, development will be spread out to the entire region. Once Vizag gets its own railway zone (it should have been announced long ago, but politics….), there will be an upgradation of smaller stations, the important Vizag-Kirandul line, and freight transport of the region will grow further. Already Vizag seaport and container terminal are being expanded, and logistically, this will become one of India’s primary hubs. Godavari water and Nagavali-Vamsadhara interlinking will change the agricultural landscape of the districts, ushering in benefits of canal water to even more villages.
Now, I’m not a government spokesperson. Since I belong to this area, I know it decently well. All this information is easily available if someone would spend a bit of time. But the sad thing is that in our quest for political relevance, we just want to sow seeds of divisiveness. Uttarandhra is a wonderful part of our country. It is a key contributor to our state’s progress. And it will become even more important in the coming years. We have a strong identity, are well respected, have multiple avenues of connectivity to all parts of the country and the world, have decent access to employment, agriculture will become more profitable, we have some of the highest land rates in the state (!), have easy access to one of India’s best cities — which is also an educational and healthcare hub, have ample avenues for leisure and entertainment… What more do we need??
Dear politicians, please don’t spread your hate in our area. There are problems everywhere. Even America and Europe aren’t immune to the politics of hate which are sweeping sanity away. Compared to most of the country, we are much better off. Our people are innocent and are easily swayed. Cinema is our driving force and we are an emotional people. Don’t use it against us 🙏🏼
