Amaravati, the greenfield capital envisioned for the reshaped Andhra Pradesh in 2014, began on a grand scale with a glittering masterplan befitting its name.
We remember how, for five years, the then-TDP government focused on planning the city. However, after its electoral debacle in 2019, the successor YSR Congress government created controversy by proposing three capitals for balanced regional development.
Caught in legal tangles, the idea had to be withdrawn. But in the process, five years went by with no clarity on the capital. So as TDP, JSP and BJP swept the polls earlier this year, they immediately revived the Amaravati project.
The project has been debated for long. Whatever the merits of the arguments for and against it, the time has come to end such discussions. The people have given an overwhelming mandate to the alliance and, by extension, to Amaravati.
Unlike during 2014-19, the present NDA government headed by N Chandrababu Naidu has a master plan on the table. With Naidu’s influence at the Centre, the state is already in the process of procuring a Rs 26,000-crore loan from lending agencies for resuming the works, which the chief minister has formally relaunched.
The Union cabinet’s nod for railway lines connecting the capital to Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata at an estimated cost of Rs 2,245 crore and a 3-km bridge over river Krishna has come as yet another shot in the arm. The government is proceeding with laying a 360-km trunk road network in the region, and building five administrative towers. If things go as planned, these buildings and the core capital may take shape in a couple of years.
While the Centre’s hand-holding is a must, the state also needs to mobilise resources keeping in mind the escalation in costs from the originally-projected Rs 50,000 crore. To make it a self-financing project, the government must focus on making it secure.
In view of the recent floods in Vijayawada, there is apprehension among outside investors about Amaravati’s viability. It is good that the government has spelt out how it intends to make the city flood-proof with three canals and other waterworks.
Once constructed, it will inspire confidence. At the same time, to prevent future trouble, the government must also ensure infrastructure development in the backward Rayalaseema and north Andhra regions. Else, history will repeat itself.