AP cabinet approves Visakhapatnam as executive capital of State

The Andhra Pradesh cabinet, on Monday, approved the high-power committee’s report to set up executive capital in Visakhapatnam. To this effect, the State Government will be shifting the Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, and Heads of Department (HoD) offices to the port city.

While Amaravati will be the legislative capital and hold the Assembly sessions, Kurnool will be established as the judiciary capital with High Court. The high-profile meeting saw the authorities discuss the measures to be taken to compensate the farmers in Amaravati who had lent their lands for the capital construction during the previous regime. Reportedly, the authorities even mooted on the appointment of a “super collector” to monitor the development of different regions in the State. The key decisions were taken at a crucial meeting headed by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Earlier, the GN Rao committee and the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) had backed the Chief Minister’s proposal of setting up Visakhapatnam as the executive capital.

The decision has evoked sharp criticism from opposition leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu. Slamming the government’s move to set up three capitals in the State, the TDP chief called it a “black day” in the history of Andhra Pradesh and opined that the move is likely to put the future of 5 crore people at stake. The former Chief Minister further called for other opposition leaders to join hands in protest against the same.