Vizag may become the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh. Here’s what it means

Speaking about the State Government’s future steps for Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, said that the State may have three capitals in the near future. For ease of administration, the CM said the State Government is considering setting up Amaravati as the legislative capital, Vizag as the executive capital and Kurnool as the judicial capital of Andhra Pradesh. The executive capital is for administrative purposes. All the State Government schemes and policies are executed from such capital. He said that the State must encourage decentralization and innovative thinking. Referring to South Africa, the CM said that since such countries already function with three capitals, so can Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief Minister also added that the High Court can be set up in Kurnool, while the Assembly continues to function at Amaravati. Elaborating on the plans for Vizag, the CM said the Government may shift important offices, including the Secretariat and various Heads of Departments, here. He said that the port city already has all the facilities required for the move and that the metro rail project is the only one that needs to be added here. The officials are also of the opinion that setting up prime State Government offices here would not cost much, as the infrastructure is mostly available. Further, the CM added that traffic control needs to be regulated in Vizag to get it up to speed with the requirements of an executive capital.

Additionally, if the announcement is made official, developmental works in the city are expected to be expedited, and the metro rail could be set up faster.

Explaining his ideas about the three-capital concept, the Chief Minister said he would also have liked to develop Amaravati as the capital city, but the estimated costs have run into 1.09 lakh crore rupees. He said that the State doesn’t have such heavy funds now, and even if it did, it should be used for critical projects like drinking water schemes and improving government school infrastructure. He added that setting up Visakhapatnam as an executive capital would not cost the state much. He said that the government is waiting on information for an official committee to be set up for the purpose.