The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution asking the central government to extend legal status to the capital city of Amaravati by amending Section 5 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014 during the ongoing Parliament sessions.
The resolution urged the Center to insert the word “Amaravati” in sub-section (2) of Section 5 of the AP Reorganization Act, 2014 and add the words: “Amaravati includes the metropolitan areas notified under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014” to the Explanation to Section 5.
Moving the resolution, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the purpose of the resolution is to get official recognition of Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh and determine its boundaries in accordance with the State Comprehensive Development Act.
“The decision will be sent to the Center immediately, so that necessary amendments are made to the AP Reorganization Act, 2014 during the current Parliament session,” Naidu said.
He stressed that once the amendments are implemented, Amaravati will remain the sole and permanent capital of the state. He said at the conclusion of the discussion in the Council: “No one can touch the capital and it will not move even one inch.”
Naidu said the state needs clarity, stability and legal protection on the capital issue in the interest of overall development in Andhra Pradesh.
Tracing the historical importance of Amaravati, the Prime Minister said the area between the Krishna and Godavari rivers once served as the capital during the reign of the Satavahanas. “This is the land of the Telugu people with a glorious and ancient history, rich in culture and tradition,” Naidu said.
The Prime Minister said that the Sivaramakrishnan Committee itself had indicated that 46 per cent people preferred the capital to be located between Vijayawada and Guntur.
He stressed that considering Amaravati as the capital does not mean that all development will be concentrated there. He said that his government has always believed in decentralization in development, which is why it has distributed many institutions at the national level in different parts of the country.
Naidu highly praised the farmers of the capital region, noting that after consultations, they voluntarily provided 34,000 acres within just 58 days for the capital project. He said: “I bow my head in respect and salute the farmers who gave their lands to the capital.”
The Prime Minister said that Amaravati has been envisioned as a self-sustainable project and reiterated that the vision will definitely be fulfilled.
Giving an update on the workings of the capital, he said his government has set a target of giving Amaravati a clear shape by 2028. By 2027, arterial roads, layouts and other major infrastructure works will be completed. At present, 91 works are worth $56,000 crore is currently progressing rapidly in Amaravati.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, state IT Minister Nara Lokesh, BJP leader P Vishnu Kumar Raju and several members of TDP, Jana Sena and BJP participated in the discussion.
