It is only a matter of time that Andhra Pradesh Capital is shifted to Vishakapatnam. The entire process is likely to be completed by the end of January. Meanwhile, the state police have raised a red flag. The foremost reason for this is the Vishakapatnam district being a part of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) zone where the Maoists are quite active.
The Department feels that Vishaka is made the Executive Capital, the city will have a huge influx of political VIPs and that will entail even bigger security paraphernalia to guard them 24×7. In September 2018, MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao was shot dead by Maoists in the Araku valley area of Visakhapatnam district.
Even though the Maoist influence has come down drastically in Andhra Pradesh, they are still making their presence felt in the AOB area as Odisha is safe haven for them for various reasons. The presence of ministers and the Government machinery in Visakhapatnam will keep the police constantly on tenterhooks.
Any minor lapse can prove to be very costly. Buzz in the Government circles is that the Government had secretly appointed a committee to study this threat perception. But the big question is if the Committee Report will have any impact on the final decision.
