Amaravati 2.0: The challenge of turning blueprint into reality
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Popular in India
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Skyscrapers soaring 50 storeys high, emergency services just five minutes away, homes, schools, and workplaces all within a 15-minute walk-on a 3x2 feet grid map at the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) office in Vijayawada, Amaravati looks picture-perfect. Landscaped avenues, highways, and nine themed sub-cities complete the blueprint.But for the past decade, this greenfield capital has existed mostly on paper.When Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated in 2014, Hyderabad was designated as the joint capital for 10 years. As Telangana claimed it at the end of this period, then Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu envisioned a new capital in Amaravati-grander than Hyderabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in 2015. But the project was shelved after Naidu lost power and YSRCP's Jagan Mohan Reddy became Chief Minister. Back in office in 2024, Naidu has revived Amaravati. On Friday, PM Modi formally relaunched work on the capital.As the fanfare settles, ET examines the scale of the project, the ground-level readiness, and the challenges in turning a blueprint into a living, working capital city.Amaravati is designed to cover 217.23 sq km across 29 villages in the larger 8,352.69 sq km capital region. At its heart lies the government city-with the assembly, secretariat, and high court-surrounded by nine self-contained sub-cities.The master plan, created in partnership with Singapore, remains intact despite political shifts. Roads are laid out in a north-south and east-west grid. Each 4 sq km block is a township with its own school, Anganwadi, health centre, junior college, and park. No essential service is more than 2 km away. The plan also includes 3,300 km of cycling tracks.Being situated along the Krishna river, flood management is key. Natural canals-Kondaveeti Vaagu and Paala Vaagu-are being widened and deepened. A new gravity channel will run north to south to drain excess water.In Amaravati 2.0, project oversight is rigorous. A group of ministers oversees land allotments. Every project is assigned a project management officer tracking daily progress, supported by a programme officer who reports to APCRDA. Timelines are tightly monitored, with a completion window of 18 to 36 months. On the ground today, Amaravati is mostly barren-except for a few functioning universities with student housing.The biggest challenge is settling the city.New capitals in India have struggled to grow beyond administrative hubs. Chhattisgarh's Naya Raipur and Gujarat's Gandhinagar are examples where government offices exist, but the cities remain underpopulated.Andhra's municipal administration minister Narayana says lessons have been learned. "We're planning for economic activity alongside governance. The government shift will happen first-officials will follow, and so will residents. Universities are operational and more are under construction. A health city is also being developed. These will drive economic momentum."Between 2014 and 2019, 130 land allotments were made in Amaravati, but only a handful turned into projects. Now, the state is reviewing them. Of these, 48 are being confirmed."There's a trust deficit after the way the previous government treated investors," says Narayana. "We need to restore confidence." Over 100 fresh investment proposals are now under review.Naidu has also sought legal backing from the Centre to secure Amaravati's status as the capital, regardless of political changes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
'We Honour Daughters': Chandrababu Naidu Slams Offensive Remarks Against Amaravati Women
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his deputy Pawan Kalyan on Sunday condemned derogatory remarks allegedly made by a couple of journalists against women of Amaravati. Mr Naidu referred to alleged offensive statements made by a journalist in a vernacular news channel who allegedly made highly disparaging comments against the women of greenfield capital city Amaravati. The women in Amaravati on Sunday took out a protest march condemning the remarks made by journalists. "Ours is a culture that honours daughters. We revere women as divine, especially among Telugu people who hold mothers and daughters in highest esteem," Mr Naidu said in a post on 'X'. The Chief Minister said that people had already rejected this toxic mindset through the democratic mandate, yet derogatory narratives still persist against women in the capital region of Amaravati. Mr Naidu termed the silence of opposition leader and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy over the alleged remarks as "deeply troubling". The Chief Minister further said that the offensive remarks are not just political attacks. They are assaults on every woman's dignity and pride, he said, demanding accountability and apology. He assured that strict action would follow, emphasising the NDA government's commitment to uphold women's respect. We will not let such culture prevail, he said. Similarly, Pawan Kalyan said Amaravati, a land enriched with the legacy of Gautama Buddha, stands as a historic symbol of peace where Buddhism once thrived and spiritual traditions flourished. "This (Amaravati) is a land sanctified by Gautama Buddha and Acharya Nagarjuna. Such remarks demean the legacy of Amaravati and insult the dignity of its women," said Kalyan in a post on 'X'.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu pitches financial incentives to have more kids
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh, which once amended its laws to bar people with more than two kids from contesting panchayat and municipal elections, now plans to incentivise having larger families as part of a strategy to combat dropping fertility rates and shift focus to what chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu terms 'investment in human capital'. 'I am looking at giving financial incentives by taking a family as a unit. The bigger families may get higher incentives,' Naidu told TOI ahead of completing a year in office on June 12. 'As part of the 'Zero Poverty ' initiative, I have already rolled out an interesting model in which wealthier people will adopt poor families. This will not only bridge income disparities, but also ensure welfare of the entire family,' he said. The four-time CM, who has been an advocate of population management, said the current demographics in the southern states require govts to revisit their strategies. With current fertility rate, Andhra will face serious problems: CM Fertility rates in Andhra Pradesh need to increase. At the present rate, AP will face serious problems… That is why I am thinking of bigger families,' CM N Chandrababu Naidu said. He announced recently that female employees could avail of maternity leave any number of times. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 임플란트 최대 할인 지원해드려요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo 'It was limited to two times only. We have removed the restrictions,' he said. The state govt also made it mandatory for every organisation to provide childcare centres at workplaces. Naidu announced financial assistance of Rs 15,000 for every schoolchild. 'We give this money directly to the mothers of students. Apart from this, the NDA govt in AP is planning to announce financial assistance to couples for having more kids.' The two-child policy previously applicable to prospective candidates for panchayat and municipal polls has been reversed. In 2023, Sikkim announced incentives for indigenous people to have more children. Mizoram, too, has been encouraging tribal couples to have more than two kids. Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin said recently that with the Centre pushing for population-based delimitation of constituencies, there was a need for people in the state to have more children.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
CM Naidu for incentives to AP families with more kids
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh, which once amended its laws to bar people with more than two kids from contesting panchayat and municipal elections, now plans to incentivise having larger families as part of a strategy to combat dropping fertility rates and shift focus to what CM N Chandrababu Naidu terms "investment in human capital". Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "I am looking at giving financial incentives by taking a family as a unit. The bigger families may get higher incentives," Naidu told TOI ahead of completing a year in office on June 12. "As part of the 'Zero Poverty P4' initiative, I have already rolled out an interesting model in which wealthier people will adopt poor families. This will not only bridge income disparities, but also ensure welfare of the entire family," he said. The four-time CM, who has been an advocate of population management, said the current demographics in the southern states require govts to revisit their strategies. "Fertility rates in AP need to increase. At the present rate, AP will face serious problems… That is why I am thinking of bigger families," he said. Naidu announced recently that female employees could avail of maternity leave any number of times. "It was limited to two times only. We have removed the restrictions," he said. The state govt also made it mandatory for every organisation to provide childcare centres at workplaces. Naidu announced financial aid of Rs 15,000 for every schoolchild. "We give this money directly to the mothers of students. Apart from this, the NDA govt in AP is planning to announce financial assistance to couples for having more kids." The two-child policy previously applicable to prospective candidates for panchayat and municipal polls has been reversed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In 2023, Sikkim announced incentives for indigenous people to have more children. Mizoram, too, has been encouraging tribal couples to have more than two kids. Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin said recently that with the Centre pushing for population-based delimitation of constituencies, there was a need for people in the state to have more children.
