Naidu’s new capital between Vijayawada & Guntur

Hyderabad: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wants the new capital of Andhra located between Vijayawada and Guntur in the coastal belt of the state. Naidu, who had held his grand-swearing in ceremony in June at Mangalgiri in that area, reportedly envisages a swank centrally-located capital city with four-lane roads running to important centres around the state. 

A formal decision and announcement is expected soon. Naidu will have to factor in likely protests from the southern Rayalaseema districts, a backward region that has hoped for the development that a new capital will bring. 

But urban development minister P Narayana stressed that this location makes logistical sense – there is land available, there is easy access to water and it is central. “Between Tada and Srikakulam, we have a coast length of 920 km. Krishna and Guntur are in the middle. Our chief minister wants to build a four-lane road from Kurnool to the capital, another from Anantpur to the capital, one from Kadapa to the capital and one from Chittoor to the capital. We already have a four-lane road running from Tada to Srikakulam, so the capital will be in the middle,” the minister said. 
 
The coastal city of Visakhapatnam lost out because it is on one side of the state. Ongole has plenty of land, but no water. Vijayawada, a commercial hub had water, but no land – some real estate in the city is more expensive than prime areas in Hyderabad.

Naidu has promised the state a capital better than Hyderabad, which Andhra Pradesh will share for 10 years with Telangana, the new state carved out of it this year. He estimates that building such a capital will cost about five lakh crore rupees. 

The state has sought 5,000 crore initially from the Centre, but raising money will be a big challenge; ahundi has been put up at the State Secretariat in Hyderabad for donations.