Andhra guv’s nod to bills for 3 capitals

Hyderabad: Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan on Friday gave his assent to two bills passed for the creation of three capitals for Andhra Pradesh and to abolish the

Hyderabad: Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan on Friday gave his assent to two bills passed for the creation of three capitals for Andhra Pradesh and to abolish the development authority formed in 2014 to develop Amaravati as the capital even as Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) called the legislation invalid, saying the process for it was yet to be completed.

HT Image

The government on July 18 sent the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Bill for Harichandan’s approval even as the state legislative council, where the ruling YSR Congress Party does not have a majority on its own, did not clear them. The 175-member legislative assembly, where the ruling party has 151 members, passed them twice.

The council’s chairman, Muhammad Ahmed Sharif, used his discretionary powers and referred the two bills to a select committee for wider examinations.

The governor approved the bills for creating the executive, legislative and judicial capitals in Visakhapatnam, Amaravati, and Kurnool and repealing the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) even as the committee is yet to constituted.

The state government issued two separate gazette notifications related to the bills. “As such Amaravati ceases to be the capital city of Andhra Pradesh,” an official in chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s office said, requesting anonymity.

The bills were passed for a second time on June 16 but were stalled in the council, which was adjourned sine die without discussing them. Since the council did not take any decision within one month, the bills were deemed to have been passed and were sent to Harichandan for his assent, officials aware of the matter said.

Officials cited a Constitutional provision and said a bill is deemed to have been passed if the legislative council does not take any decision on it following its passage in the assembly within one month.

Harichandan held several rounds of consultations with legal experts before approving the bills to pave the way for the formation of the three capitals, the official cited above said.

TDP leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the bills have no legal sanctity as they are pending for study by the select committee. He added the government gave an undertaking to the high court over having the bills scrutinised. “Though the constitution of select committees could not take place due to bureaucratic hurdles, the process is still on. So, the reintroduction of the same bills again in the state legislature in June cannot be legally tenable.”

The high court has been hearing a batch of petitions by farmers of Amaravati, who have opposed the trifurcation of the capital and abolition of APCRDA. The next hearing is scheduled for August 6.

A Siva Reddy, convenor of Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi, which is a petitioner in the case, said they would fight a legal battle as long as they get justice.

“We have no other option as we cannot take to the streets because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are confident that justice would prevail and Amaravati will remain the capital.”

APCRDA was created for the development of the state’s capital after Andhra Pradesh lost Hyderabad with the creation of Telangana in 2014.

Andhra Pradesh minister Botsa Satyanarayana said the governor had given his assent after going through all legal angles. “Everything has gone as per the procedure. Our intention of creating three capital cities is to ensure development of all the three regions of the state,” Satyanarayana said. He added chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy would soon lay foundation for the executive capital city at Visakhapatnam.

Andhra Pradesh Bar Council member Muppalla Nageswara Rao said the laws might not stand legal scrutiny. “The government has no power to relocate the high court from Amaravati to Kurnool, as it was decided by the judiciary and the President of India.”