Amaravati 2.0: The challenge of turning blueprint into reality
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.
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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 2.0
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.
Challenges Ahead
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."
Rebuilding Investor Confidence
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.
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