Vijayawada-Guntur likely to become AP capital

                                                         

For Naidu, the stretch between Vijayawada, a commercial hub, and Guntur seems to be the obvious choice for the new capital for Andhra Pradesh comprising 13 districts spread over coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Other cities in the race include Visakapatnam, Tirupati, Ongole and Kurnool.
Though the AP Reorganisation Act categorically states that Hyderabad would remain the common capital for the two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period of 10 years, Naidu, who is also the president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), is keen on starting work on the new capital as early as possible. He has already announced that the new capital would be showcased as the achievement of the TDP government in the next elections five years hence.
Naidu dropped enough hints recently that the Vijayawada-Guntur stretch is his first preference for the capital. “The location of the state capital should be decided by the state government and not by a committee appointed by the centre,” the chief minister said, adding that if the capital does indeed come up on this stretch, it could be developed on the lines of Hyderabad over a period of 10 to 15 years.
Naidu’s preference is not without hiccups, what with several of his cabinet colleagues stating that farmers in the area could put up stiff resistance since the soil there is very fertile. The chief minister, however, came up with his argument that the government would prepare a plan that would benefit both the farmers and the public in land acquisition.
The two coastal cities and generally the south coast of the state are arguably the most prosperous area of the state. Naidu’s move has found support from influential politicians and leading industrialists of the region. Another factor that may weigh in its favor is that the TDP put up an impressive performance in the region in the recent elections.
However, non-availability of government land and sky-rocketing prices of private lands are seen as major challenges. There is a school of thought that believes that the sprawling campus of Nagarjuna University near Guntur is ideally suited to house the legislature, secretariat, Raj Bhavan and government offices of the new state.