Andhra Pradesh Assembly tables Bill for setting up three capitals

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, January 20

The Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of all Regions Bill 2020 which provides for the creation of three capital cities to usher in the decentralisation of development was tabled on the first day of the three-day special Assembly session at Vijayawada on Monday.

Moving the Bill, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendernath said the Bill proposes to have a legislative capital at Amaravati, executive capital and Raj Bhavan at Visakhapatnam and judicial capital at Kurnool to fulfil the aspirations of all regions.

The decision was arrived at after careful consideration of facts and lessons history has taught us and the recommendations of various committees with people of eminence in their chosen fields starting from Faisal Ali Commission to the latest recommendations of the High Power Committee, he said.

All the committees, including Sivaramakrishnan Committee, had unanimously voted for decentralisation of development and not to take any steps to harm the ecological balance of the state.

Sivaramakrishnan Committee has even vetoed the present region for capital.

Setting aside all the committee reports, the previous Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government focused only on one area and has put all development in Amaravati Capital Region, the finance minister said.

“Even after pooling 33,000 acres from the farmers for the development of the capital city, former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu only showed colourful graphics and cheated the farmers,” he said.

MLA Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, during a discussion on Decentralisation Bill, said, “Today, we are paying Rs 750 crores alone every year as rent to run government offices. In all these five years, Rs 3,750 crores was used for paying rent.”

He further stated that the government will also take the responsibility to study the CRDA Act and the lottery process of allocation of land to the farmers.

“The TDP government brought this lottery procedure and cheated the farmers in the name of transparency. But with insider trading, all the good land has been allocated to their people and farmers were provided with uneven land.

“Pooling 33,000 acres for capital is meaningless and was also opposed by many. Our government increased the benefits for the farmers of the Amaravati region and we would consider returning the land of those farmers which remained untouched and if they want to take back their land,” he added.