It is now official. Andhra Pradesh is going to have three capital cities – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati.
Andhra Pradesh governor Biswabhushan Harichandan on Friday evening gave his assent to the two crucial bills – one for abolishing the AP Capital Region Development Authority which was created in December 2014 to develop Amaravati as the capital region and the second bill, seeking to create three capitals for the state for decentralised development.
With the Governor giving his assent, decks have been cleared for the formation of three capitals for AP and it is only a matter of time that they will become a reality.
Apparently, the Governor gave his assent to the two bills after consulting legal experts from both the state and the Centre and going through all the pros and cons. He has also reportedly contacted the Union home ministry before taking the decision.
Now that the Governor himself has given the consent, it is unlikely that the high court will create any hurdles in the formation of three capitals, when the case comes up for hearing on August 6.
However, the state government may face some issues with regard to settling the issues of Amaravati farmers who had given their lands for the capital city. The state government might have to come up with some solution in this regard, say sources.