Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday announced that the State’s new capital will be located around Vijayawada.
Addressing the State Legislative Assembly, Naidu said the decision to locate the capital in the central region of the residuary State was taken after a prolonged consultative process and was approved by the State Cabinet on September 1.
While setting up a new capital in Vijayawada, he said the State has decided to go in for a decentralised development with three mega cities and 14 smart cities.
To acquire land to develop the capital, AP will adopt a land pooling system to be worked out by a Cabinet subcommittee.
The Chief Minister’s announcement was made after adjournments in the House, where the Opposition YSR Congress Party insisted on a debate on the capital before it was announced.
Popular sentimentNaidu said the decision of the Cabinet is a reflection of popular sentiment, and is affirmed by views expressed in the representations received by the Sivaramakrishnan Committee.
Nearly 50 per cent of the representations received by the committee favoured the Vijayawada-Guntur region as the best location for the capital.
The House later passed eight resolutions included seeking Central Government support in developing the capital.
The State wants the Central Government to provide the necessary financial assistance to develop the capital and accord the State special status as assured during the passage of the State Reorganisation Bill.
Despite daunting challenges, Naidu said, “I would like to convert the crisis into an opportunity and already several steps have been initiated to signal the commitment to a balanced regional development of the entire State.”
He said the Act has done great injustice and deprived the State of a level playing field.
The bifurcation was effected in a hurry and without proper consultation of all the stakeholders.
Assets and liabilities were distributed between the two States to the great disadvantage of Andhra Pradesh, he said.
Mission-based approachThe State will cross all hurdles by adopting a mission-based approach to development, wherein various sectors would be prioritised, he added.
These will be backed by setting up five grids on water, power, gas, road and fibre-optic broadband connectivity.
He said the centrepiece of the industrial development involves developing the Nellore-Visakhapatnam belt as a part of the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor and the Chittoor-Anantapur belt as part of the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor.
The development of roads, air connectivity and ports and strengthening the infrastructure would ensure that the State has holistic development, the CM added.