Amaravati, After TDP's landslide victory in Andhra Pradesh assembly elections, the Amaravati capital city project, which was shelved by the outgoing YSRCP government, is now expected to be revived.
As the first chief minister of the divided state between 2014 and 2019, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had made Amaravati the capital.
The greenfield capital city, located between the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur, was envisioned as an environmentally sustainable city, covering 29 villages.
Naidu had acquired 30,000 acres of land from farmers for the construction of Amaravati capital city through land pooling. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in its foundation stone laying ceremony on 22 October 2015 and former Telangana CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao also attended it.
However, this brainchild of Naidu suffered a setback in 2019 when TDP lost power and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP won in a landslide.Naidu's successor scrapped the Amaravati capital city plan and propounded a new theory of three capitals, which may now become a dead concept as he faces a humiliating defeat in the 2024 elections, while Naidu's CM He is expected to take charge soon.
The landslide victory of the NDA alliance of TDP, BJP and Janasena has breathed new life into Amravati, which is set to see brisk activity.
Releasing the election manifesto at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli on 30 April, Naidu vowed that Amaravati would be developed as the state capital.
Speaking to reporters, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who won from Mangalagiri assembly constituency, on June 4 said the incoming government was committed to developing Amaravati as the single capital of the state.
TDP spokesperson Jyotsna Tirunagari said the construction of Amaravati would be the first priority of the new government.“Amaravati reconstruction is our first priority, there is no doubt about it. We have made a lot of development during our reign (2014-2019). After Jagan Mohan Reddy took power, he actually destroyed everything and demolished most of the things,” Tirunagari said.
Alleging that roads were dug up during the YSRCP regime, he said Amaravati has to be rebuilt from scratch in some areas except the Secretariat and Assembly buildings.
According to the TDP spokesperson, even during the first TDP rule in the rest of the state Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati was its priority, which will now see new momentum and enthusiasm.Meanwhile, the farmers of Amaravati, who gave land for the capital, are looking towards Naidu with new hope.
“Our aim is to build Amaravati and save Amaravati. Chandrababu won and Amravati was saved. After Babu (Chandrababu) won, we got a lot of clarity and will also get support from the central government,” a woman farmer told a regional news channel.
However, he observed that the farmers who have been agitating for the last five years will continue to agitate until they get their land pattas that have been stuck for three years amid other unresolved disputes.
It was reported that despite several agitations by farmers who had given their land for the capital city project, Reddy did not pay heed to their pleas during his tenure.
As the first chief minister of the divided state between 2014 and 2019, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu had made Amaravati the capital.
The greenfield capital city, located between the cities of Vijayawada and Guntur, was envisioned as an environmentally sustainable city, covering 29 villages.
Naidu had acquired 30,000 acres of land from farmers for the construction of Amaravati capital city through land pooling. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in its foundation stone laying ceremony on 22 October 2015 and former Telangana CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao also attended it.
However, this brainchild of Naidu suffered a setback in 2019 when TDP lost power and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP won in a landslide.Naidu's successor scrapped the Amaravati capital city plan and propounded a new theory of three capitals, which may now become a dead concept as he faces a humiliating defeat in the 2024 elections, while Naidu's CM He is expected to take charge soon.
The landslide victory of the NDA alliance of TDP, BJP and Janasena has breathed new life into Amravati, which is set to see brisk activity.
Releasing the election manifesto at his Andhra Pradesh residence in Undavalli on 30 April, Naidu vowed that Amaravati would be developed as the state capital.
Speaking to reporters, TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh, who won from Mangalagiri assembly constituency, on June 4 said the incoming government was committed to developing Amaravati as the single capital of the state.
TDP spokesperson Jyotsna Tirunagari said the construction of Amaravati would be the first priority of the new government.“Amaravati reconstruction is our first priority, there is no doubt about it. We have made a lot of development during our reign (2014-2019). After Jagan Mohan Reddy took power, he actually destroyed everything and demolished most of the things,” Tirunagari said.
Alleging that roads were dug up during the YSRCP regime, he said Amaravati has to be rebuilt from scratch in some areas except the Secretariat and Assembly buildings.
According to the TDP spokesperson, even during the first TDP rule in the rest of the state Andhra Pradesh, Amaravati was its priority, which will now see new momentum and enthusiasm.Meanwhile, the farmers of Amaravati, who gave land for the capital, are looking towards Naidu with new hope.
“Our aim is to build Amaravati and save Amaravati. Chandrababu won and Amravati was saved. After Babu (Chandrababu) won, we got a lot of clarity and will also get support from the central government,” a woman farmer told a regional news channel.
However, he observed that the farmers who have been agitating for the last five years will continue to agitate until they get their land pattas that have been stuck for three years amid other unresolved disputes.
It was reported that despite several agitations by farmers who had given their land for the capital city project, Reddy did not pay heed to their pleas during his tenure.
