In choosing to build the >capital of Andhra Pradesh in the Vijayawada-Guntur region, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu went by its central location, its proximity to the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur and the availability of land, rather than by the cost of land acquisition. The locational advantages clearly outweigh the relative disadvantage of land cost, and Mr. Naidu must have felt justified in overruling the report of the Sivaramakrishnan Committee, appointed by the Union Home Ministry to identify alternative locations for the >new capital of Andhra Pradesh . Where Mr. Naidu and the Committee agree is on the decentralised development of the State: Andhra Pradesh will now have three mega-cities and 14 smart cities, and not just one super-capital. Even while rejecting the Committee’s objections to raising a capital in the Vijayawada-Guntur-Tenali-Mangalagiri region, the Chief Minister seems to be conscious of its concerns about concentrating development in a single, large capital city. But Mr. Naidu also invoked popular sentiment to justify his decision, noting that nearly 50 per cent of the representations received by the Committee favoured the >Vijayawada-Guntur region as the best possible location. Any area >around Vijayawada would allow easier access to the capital to people from all regions of the State, and provide for more even development.
The Sivaramakrishnan Committee, while >proposing the development of a string of cities as business and industrial hubs, and the distribution of government offices across districts, went strictly by its terms of reference. The panel was particular that the development of the capital and accommodation of government offices cause the least possible dislocation to existing agricultural systems, promote environmentally sustainable growth, and minimise the cost of land and construction. But while, as the >Sivaramakrishnan Committee report says, distances are no longer a deterrent at a time of increased road and rail connectivity and modern electronic communication systems, a centrally located and easily accessible capital city is essential for smooth and speedy governance. Conversion of farmlands, displacement of people dependent on agriculture, and the cost of land acquisition and construction are serious issues, but >Andhra Pradesh needs to have a capital with important government offices in close proximity. Hyderabad will remain a joint capital only for 10 years, and the creation of the capital will have to begin soon and be completed quickly. The Vijayawada-Guntur region suggested itself, and will be ideal for the new capital once landowners are given fair compensation, and conversion of agricultural lands is kept to the minimum. Finding the resources for building the capital is not an insurmountable task.
