Andhra Pradesh proposes to develop new capital between Vijayawada and Guntur
The recommendation was made at a meeting between state officials and a penal set up by the Union home ministry
New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh (AP) government has asked the Centre to allow it to develop its new capital in the region between Vijayawada and Guntur, a top state government official, who did not want to be identified, said on Saturday.
The recommendation was made at a meeting on Saturday between AP government officials and a penal set up by the Union home ministry under former urban development secretary K.C. Sivaramakrishnan. The official cited above was present in the meeting, that was also attended by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
“We have requested the committee to allow us to develop the area between Vijayawada and Guntur into our new capital. The distance between the two cities is about 60km and we are looking at developing the new city on a public-private-partnership basis," the official said.
A member of the five-member panel set up by the home ministry, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the committee would finalize its report “at the very latest" by 31 August and submit the same to the Centre. He did not comment on what transpired during Saturday’s meeting.
The AP government official cited above said that under the plan being suggested by the state, no private land would be acquired from anyone. “We are looking at developing new areas between Guntur and Vijayawada and are looking at about 15,000 acres," he said.
“We would ask various blocks within districts to come forward on a competitive basis, and give us land. While 40% of the land would be developed for public purposes, the remainder would be developed and handed back to the people. We are effectively going to ensure that the value of their land goes up," the official said.
He further said that the state had suggested the centre, a “diffused model of development" in which, while the new capital would house administrative offices, educational institutes and industrial corridors would be set up across other parts of the residuary state. “We don’t want a model in which only the capital city has all the major institutions. We want IIT and AIIMS-like institutes and other commercial developments to come up in areas like Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra as well," the official said.
“The location we have suggested is ideal, as it is almost equidistant from almost all the regions in the state," he added. The official said that the state government had not suggested any other location apart form the region between Guntur and Vijayawada.
Apart from Sivaramakrishnan, other members of the panel include K.T. Ravindran, former dean, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi; Rathin Roy, director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi; Jagan Shah, director, National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi; and Aromar Revi, director, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore.
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