VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday put an end to speculation surrounding the formation of Greater Vijayawada, stating that the proposal has been kept on hold until the Census process is completed.
Minister Narayana said the government does not want to merge surrounding areas into Vijayawada before the Census, as it could create administrative and planning complications. “The Census exercise is currently underway. Therefore, the process of forming Greater Vijayawada has been stopped for now. A decision will be taken only after the Census is completed,” he said.
The Minister explained that premature expansion of municipal limits could affect the accuracy of Census data, urban planning, governance, and the allocation of resources. He added that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu would take a final decision on the proposal after reviewing the Census data.
The clarification comes amid renewed discussions on expanding Vijayawada’s municipal limits. Recently, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath and Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Ramamohan Rao met the Chief Minister.