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Andhra assembly passes bill to withdraw laws on creation of 3 capitals
Making a statement in the assembly, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy made it clear that his government would stand by the creation of three capital cities for the decentralised development of all the three regions of the state – north coastal Andhra, south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
The Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly on Monday passed a Bill to repeal laws on the creation of three capitals for the state in place of the existing one, Amaravati, even as chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy saying that his government would bring a more comprehensive and fool-proof legislation “in the broader interests of the state.”
The move is aimed at combating the popular and legal challenge to the two laws
The assembly passed by voice vote a Bill seeking to repeal the two laws passed in June last year – the Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive Development of all Regions Act, 2020 and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Act, 2020.
The first legislation was aimed at establishing three capitals for the state – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati -- and the second one was aimed at abolishing the authority created by the previous TDP government in 2015 to develop Amaravati as the state capital.
Making a statement in the assembly, chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy made it clear that his government would stand by the creation of three capital cities for the decentralised development of all the three regions of the state – north coastal Andhra, south coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
Thousands of farmers who gave up over 34,000 acres of their fertile lands for setting up the state capital in Amaravati, challenged these two laws in the high court. More than 100 petitions were filed by the farmers in this regard.
He said had the exercise on three capitals begun soon after the passage of the earlier legislations in the past, it would have yielded excellent results by now.
“However, there have been several apprehensions, doubts, court cases, legal disputes and malicious campaigns against the government decision. We have seen how there were arguments about injustice meted out to some sections of people, while ignoring the overall benefit of the state,” he added.
Against this backdrop, the chief minister said, his government had decided to repeal the earlier acts and bring about fresh legislations to explain the intentions of the government with more details and incorporate all answers that would remove legal and judicial hurdles.
Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said various complaints were made and cases filed against the two laws stating that the stakeholders were not given an opportunity to present their side of the story.
Meanwhile, state advocate general Subrahmanyam Sriram informed the high court that the state government has withdrawn the earlier legislations on three capital cities and sought time to present a memorandum to the court on further decisions of the government.
A division bench of the high court comprising chief justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and justices M Satyanaryana Murthy and D V S S Somayajulu, which has been hearing a batch of petitions against the three capitals issue, posted the case to next Monday for further hearing.
Telugu Desam Party legislator and Public Accounts Committee chairman Payyavula Kesav said the Jagan Mohan Reddy government’s decision had created further uncertainty on the state capital. “It has added further confusion to its own stand at a time when the hearing in the high court on the three capitals issue is in the final stages,” Kesav said.
He said by repealing the present legislations, Jagan had indirectly admitted that they were faulty and enacted hastily. “Who is responsible for the damage caused to the state for lack of a capital city all these days?” he asked.
Political analyst Sriram Karri said the Jagan government has put up a brave front both legally and politically, but in the end the indomitable will of the farmers of Amaravati has prevailed. He added that the uncertainty can’t continue and that “a new start is needed”.
