SSCT to play key role in Puttaparthi development

Puttaparthi: Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSCT) has built up spacious buildings' infrastructure with international standards in Puttaparthi town for the promotion of educational and social and spiritual activities. The town has large devotee population, who built their own abodes spread in scores of apartment complexes and foreign tourist resorts in western and European styles. Many of the resorts are owned by foreign tourists, who live in countries abroad. In other words, the SSCT is responsible for the town development and those foreign devotees, who beautified the town with their residential ventures.

Presently, the district collectorate and other departmental offices are mostly hosted by the SSCT, although temporarily. The district headquarters called Puttaparthi, has a beautiful landscape with greenery and the beautiful red soil all over.

Besides, Puttaparthi is blessed with an airport owned by the SSCT. Going by the state government policy of establishing airports in every district, the airport in all probability will be taken over by the state or allow the SSCT to run the airport and yet operate it as a commercial civil airport under PPP mode. As of now only VVIPs only are using it for the official visits of Central and state governments.

The town is also experiencing an unprecedented real estate boom which took a back seat after the Baba's demise but now with the town's promotion into a district headquarter, its prospects are undergoing a sea change. It is now on a resurrection trail. There is also a feeling among the citizens of the new district that the SSCT and its managing trustee R J Ratnakar, the nephew of Sathya Sai Baba, can do much more to promote the brand called Puttaparthi as many of the Baba's high profile devotees are industrialists and one such example is the charismatic Ratan Tata.

Just an invitation and call to set up shops in the district can do miracles. During the Congress rule when Rosaiah was the Chief Minister, Ratan Tata offered to set up a steel plant in Rayadurg area in Anantapur district by exploiting iron ore mines in the district but due to the sheer irresponsibility of the then government and the district ministers and people's representatives, the proposal was not carried forward and Ratan Tata too remained silent as none approached him again to carry forward the generous offer. All said and done any major industry in Anantapur or Puttaparthi can benefit the youth of the undivided Anantapur district.