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What's next for Amaravati, the dream capital of Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu?
With TDP-led alliance forming the government in Andhra Pradesh, CM Chandrababu Naidu vowed that there would not be three capitals, but only one—Amaravati.
On October 22, 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Amaravati, envisioned as the ‘futuristic capital’ of Andhra Pradesh. However, it never took final shape due to a shift in political power as the YSRCP formed the state government in 2019.
Eight years and seven months later, with the Telugu Desam Party-led alliance forming the government in Andhra Pradesh, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu vowed that there would not be three capitals, but only one—Amaravati.
“In our government, there will be no games under the guise of three capitals. Our capital is Amaravati. Amaravati is the capital,” Chandrababu Naidu said on Tuesday.
Read: Chandrababu Naidu, a quintessential political ally who needs deferential handling
This was Naidu’s dig at his political rival and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The former chief minister in December 2019 had brought a proposal for three capitals in Andhra Pradesh, designating Kurnool as the judicial capital, Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, and Amaravati as the legislative capital under Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Act, 2020.
Amaravati’s introduction as capital of Andhra Pradesh
As the first chief minister of the bifurcated state from 2014 to 2019, Naidu proposed Amaravati as the capital city. Located between Vijayawada and Guntur, and spanning 29 villages, it was planned to be environmentally sustainable,
Naidu had acquired around 30,000 acres of land from farmers for the construction of Amaravati through land pooling. But the plan encountered a major setback in 2019 as TDP lost power to the YSRCP.
After forming the government, Reddy scrapped the Amaravati capital project in favour of a new proposal for three capitals.
In fact, in May 2022, the CID registered an FIR against Chandrababu Naidu, along with former minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Ponguru Narayana for alleged irregularities in the construction of an internal ring road in Amaravati.
On September 9, 2023 Naidu was arrested in Nadyal and sent to 14 days judicial custody till 23 September in connection to the alleged multi-crore corruption case.
Also read: Jailed for corruption last year, TDP chief Naidu makes a spectacular return
Amaravti, the dream project of Chandrababu Naidu
During Naidu’s earlier tenure, ₹10,500 crore was already spent on Amaravati’s development. Real estate experts from the state estimated that an additional ₹10,000-12,000 crore was needed for building projects.
The initial plan envisioned the city spanning 217 square kilometres, divided into six clusters including civic and entertainment areas. The civic cluster alone was to cover 1,600 acres. The city was designed to feature over a dozen urban plazas, all powered by renewable energy.
Inspired by Singapore, the ‘sustainable city’ was planned to be connected by e-buses, water taxis, metros, and bicycles. The project of converting the city into a capital also comprised construction of flats for bureaucrats, legislators and staff of the state’s secretariat.
As Naidu has asserted that he will continue with the city as capital, land prices in Amaravati have surged. Government backed entities such as National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), have already acquired land in Amaravati.
The revised cost of the project is expected to go up to ₹40,000 crore, double than the estimated cost of ₹21,000 crore by the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) during Naidu’s stint in the previous term.
(With inputs from PTI)
