TeaThe unified state of Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated into Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in June 2014. As per the AP Reorganization Act, Hyderabad became the capital of Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh had to fend for itself. a new capital within ten years, Till then, Hyderabad will serve as the capital of both the states.
even though Amaravati was notified As the capital city by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2015, the state still remains in confusion. This is because no one, including Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy, has a clear idea of what the state capital will be at the end of the stipulated decade.
It was announced in January this year Visakhapatnam is going to be the capital There is no mention of it in any state assembly discussion or any official document, only for Rajya Sabha has to declare A week later, according to official records, Amaravati was still the capital. All this happened just a few months after ministers from the ruling party, the Yuvajana Shramik Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), announced their intention. reproduce tIt is a bill with three capitals. It was first submitted by the Reddy government in 2020 and was rejected by the High Court for violating land procurement procedures for the capital region. Later the bill was withdrawn.
Andhra Pradesh’s Urban Development Minister Botsa Satyanarayana claims that Hyderabad will still be the capital of both the states by 2024.
The previous Andhra Pradesh government led by Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) made Amaravati, a small village between Vijayawada and Guntur, its capital. were there tall claims Several high-flying plans were made to develop this new greenfield city project as the next Singapore and with massive public and private investment.
The land for this new city was collected from farmers, who were also promised developed plots in Amaravati. The city of Vijayawada served as a temporary capital until the necessary infrastructure was developed. It all seemed perfect, at least in theory, until the YSRCP won the 2019 elections. The new government proposed a system of three capitals for the state, separating its legislative, executive and judicial functions into the cities of Amaravati, Visakhapatnam and Kurnool. This bill was struck down by the Andhra Pradesh High Court and the Supreme Court in 2022 refuse to intervene. Now, one can understand the complete confusion of the residents as they do not know whether the capital is Hyderabad or not as ten years have not yet been completed; Vijayawada, as it is still the operational center of most of the activities; Amravati, because it is where the assembly is located; Visakhapatnam, which the CM announced and partially uses; Or whether these three cities are the capital or not.
In the longer term, while the solution depends largely on the outcome of the 2024 election, there are three main ways this capital situation is likely to unfold.
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Amaravati the only capital
This plan is a double edged sword from both economic and developmental point of view. While Amaravati has its fair share of advantages as a greenfield project, in terms of combined land, available space and mobility, it also carries the burden of failed greenfield projects from across India and the world. The sector, while boasting a huge amount of public and private investment, also brings up a bill of around Rs 1.09 lakh crore in a state with mounting debt and a near-empty coffers.
Farming in the agriculturally-rich city would be affected, as well as increasing the risk of flooding in river plains.
But the opportunities are also substantial as Andhra Pradesh and the country will benefit from building a ‘world class city’ that can compete with the metros of India and the world. Amaravati is located in the center of the state, well connected to the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur.
Therefore, developing Amaravati as the capital would be a high risk and high reward situation. But from a political point of view, there is no incentive for the YSRCP government as it has been proved time and again through the farmers’ agitation that Amaravati is a strong TDP-backed constituency and hence the success of the present government will always be attributed to Chandrababu Naidu. ,
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triple capital system
While the existing bill proposing a three-capital system has been rejected, the Andhra Pradesh High Court judgment states that the central government has the power to declare the state capital. Despite the varying levels of political friendship between the YSRCP and the BJP, the state government is still attached to the idea, so it is likely that they will get what they want.
From a purely utopian urban development perspective, the idea may seem surprising that there is no need for a single city or its infrastructure to suddenly become capital-esque and deal with significant economic, spatial and population booms. We can also say that there could be improvements in inter-connectivity and transport, especially between the three cities.
However, this may not hold well in reality, as institutional coordination would be hindered due to geographical isolation.
Additionally, with Kurnool being designated as the judicial centre, legal infrastructure such as the High Court would need to be shifted from Amaravati to Kurnool. The biggest problem with this plan will be that Amaravati as a city will still need to be developed, and there is complete ambiguity on what will happen to the acquired land.
The three-capital model is likely to lead to confusion among citizens and hinder justice delivery overall, leading to bureaucratic hassles. This makes any work done in various bodies of governance a difficult task.
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Visakhapatnam the only capital
This plan is the only plan with a defined roadmap as Visakhapatnam is the largest city in Andhra Pradesh, and is very close to becoming a metropolis. It has adequate existing infrastructure, which provides an excellent starting point for the required development. This also means that it is the cheapest of the three clear positions.
It is also well connected due to the international seaport and airport. Making it the capital has the potential to bring economic progress to the region and transform it into a metropolis with tremendous growth potential. The tourism sector would be a welcome bonus as both the beaches and the nearby hill station of Araku Valley would get a major injection of revenue. However, all is not well. Due to the city being located in the northernmost part of the state, it would take around 15-16 hours to travel to the southernmost part. Capital infrastructure boost can cause significant ecological damage, as evidence shows Illegal mining in the hills near the city.
The space available in the city for expansion is also minimal, hindering future growth.
The Visakhapatnam urban area is also cyclone prone. It has been repeatedly damaged by natural calamities.
The density of a city and its potential for residential expansion have a significant impact on a city’s long-term viability as a capital.
In this scenario, redirecting funds for the development of the city could significantly impact investment in other parts of the state. All money accumulated for the purposes of Amaravati would also need to be redirected.
What can be done?
None of the three schemes is ideal for Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati will become a very heavy burden as the state is not in a position to take such a huge risk. Visakhapatnam may not be viable as the state is looking for development, and the city is very limited. The three-capital model is an unprecedented situation that does not address the problems caused by the other options. That is why this problem needs an unconventional solution that neither significantly helps any one political party, nor harms either.
One possible solution is to make Vijayawada the capital, and the proposed city Amaravati an investment region modeled after Sri City, an SEZ in Nellore district.
Vijayawada does not come with an ecological burden. It also has room for expansion all around. It also fares better on other factors like availability of drinking water than Visakhapatnam. Additionally, Amaravati is already well connected to Vijayawada. Continuation of Amaravati as an industrial area will not only tap into the substantial foreign investment already accumulated, but also provide the state with the much needed industrial and economic boost it has lost due to Hyderabad.
In this way, partially used land can be put to industrial use. Other hoarded land could be redistributed and compensated with plots developed for farmers close to NH-5 near Tadepalli village, just across the river from Vijayawada, where the CM currently resides .
The system offers current and future governments a wide range of options for adaptation and development.
It is also a politically balanced solution as Vijayawada has the support of both the major parties – it is nobody’s home turf. This would be a practical and Pareto-optimal solution to Andhra Pradesh’s capital problem.
Namesh Kilamsetty is Assistant Professor at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat. Dodda Teja Adarsh is a student of BA in Public Policy at the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, OP Jindal Global University, Sonepat. Thoughts are personal.
(Editing by Therese Sudip)