On Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that Vizag will be the new capital of the state. “I am here to invite you to Visakhapatnam, which will be our capital. I will also be shifting to Vizag. I invite you and your colleagues to see for yourself how easy it is to do business in Andhra Pradesh,” Reddy said while speaking at the International Diplomatic Alliance Meet in New Delhi.
According to the reports, the state CM also pitched for investment in the coastal city. “We’re organizing a global summit… an investors summit on March 3-4 in Visakhapatnam and I want to take this opportunity to personally invite all of you to the summit… and request all of you to not only come but also put in a good word, a strong word, to colleagues abroad,” he said.
#WATCH | “Here I am to invite you to Visakhapatnam which will be our capital in the days to come. I will also be shifting to Visakhapatnam in the months to come”: Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at International Diplomatic Alliance meet in Delhi pic.twitter.com/wANqgXC1yP
— ANI (@ANI) January 31, 2023
Previously, Reddy said categorically that the future of the state lay in decentralized development, recommending Visakhapatnam as the state administration’s headquarters. As the state’s headquarters, it will also serve as the governor’s residence, while the legislature will be based in Amaravati. He stated that the high court would be relocated to Kurnool, the former capital.
Reports mention that Reddy’s decision to relocate to Visakhapatnam, approximately 500 kilometres east of Hyderabad, gives it power in converting the Eastern Seaboard urban agglomeration into a booming city. The city has the potential to grow in size and stature, surpassing the capitals of the newly formed states of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and, more recently, Telangana.
Amaravati is the present capital of Andhra Pradesh. The YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the year 2020 repealed the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2020, and passed the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020, paving the way for Amaravati to be the Legislative capital, Visakhapatnam the Executive capital, and Kurnool the Judicial capital of the Andhra Pradesh.
Later several petitions, also backed by the opposition TDP were filed challenging the government’s move at the High Court. However, the Chief Minister criticized the TDP government for choosing Amaravati as the capital as it lacked basic infrastructures, such as roads and drainage systems.
Jagan stated that his administration presented the three capitals law to promote equal and balanced development of the state while taking people’s aspirations into account. He went on to say that the opposing party was disseminating misinformation and creating legal obstacles in the process.
Recently on November 28 last year, the Supreme Court stayed in time both directions passed by High Court. The High Court had issued directions to construct and develop Amaravati’s capital city and capital region within six months’ time. The Supreme Court stated that the directions had set out unrealistic timelines.
“What kind of directions have the High Court passed? Can the High Court become a town planner and a chief engineer? The Court has no expertise in such matters, therefore we do not interfere. Without expertise…the High Court wants an entire city to come up in two months,” the SC had noted. The Bench has decided to hear the matter next on 31st January 2023.
