The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has made it clear that as on date, Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It has refused to comment on the State government’s proposal to set up three capitals, maintaining that it is sub-judice.
It further said that the State government had not consulted the Centre while enacting the three-capital Acts.
The Union government’s statement comes as a huge surprise even as political and legal debate continues on the State government’s decision to go ahead with its proposal and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s resoluteness to shift the capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam, now being touted as Executive Capital.
In a written reply to an unstarred question posed by YSR Congress Party member V. Vijaya Sai Reddy in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that as per the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014, the capital had been notified by the State government in 2015.
Mr. Nityanand Rai said that as per Section 5 & 6 of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, the Union government had constituted an expert committee to study alternatives for setting up the new capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh and sent its report to the Government of Andhra Pradesh for necessary action.
He further mentioned that the State government had issued an order on April 23, 2015 notifying the capital city of Amaravati.
“Subsequently, the Government of Andhra Pradesh had enacted the A.P. Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) (Repeal) Act, 2020, and the Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive Development of All Regions (APDIDAR) Act, 2020, which provided that there shall be three Seats of Governance in the State of Andhra Pradesh — Amaravati as Legislative Capital, Visakhapatnam as Executive Capital and Kurnool as Judicial Capital. While enacting these Acts, the State Government had not consulted the Central Government,” Mr. Nityanand Rai said.
“Thereafter, the Government of Andhra Pradesh had enacted the Andhra Pradesh Decentralization and Inclusive Development of All Regions Repeal Act-2021, repealing the APCRDA (Repeal) Act, 2020,” the Union Minister said.
“Now, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has filed a Special Leave to Appeal (Civil) against the judgment of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh in the matter. Presently, the matter is sub-judice,” Mr. Nityanand Rai said.
Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy has asked “whether it is a fact that the government has unequivocally stated that it is up to each State to decide its capital; and if so, the implication of this stance of the government in the light of the recent judgment of the Andhra Pradesh High Court to disallow the Andhra Pradesh Government from establishing more than one capital?”
The Supreme Court has posted the matter for hearing on February 23.
Meanwhile, the Government of Andhra Pradesh is contemplating reintroducing the three capitals’ Bill again in the Legislative Assembly, if possible in the ensuing budget session itself.
