Naidu for early shifting of capital

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and chief minister designate for Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu is keen on shifting the capital to Seemandhra  region from here before the 10 year grace period provided under the AP Reorganisation 2013 Act. 

As per the Act, the Andhra Pradesh government and all its state level office will be accommodated in Hyderabad for 10 years so that the new government could build necessary infrastructure at a place proposed by the K Sivaramakrishnan panel.

TDP sources said Naidu has decided to spend at least three days every week in Seemandhra region immediately after swearing in as chief minister anytime after June 2.

“He is keen on setting up a temporary office in the Vijayawada-Mangalagiri-Guntur area as it is equidistant from Northern AP and Rayalaseema,” a Guntur TDP leader said.

It is said that Naidu will be working from the Acharya Nagarjuna University adjacent to the Chennai highway and the university officials were also told to look for vacant buildings.

“There are many vacant buildings in the engineering wing next to the Distance Education Department, which can be allocated to the office,” a university official said. The campus is also close to the 6th Battalion training centre of the AP Special Police measuring 400 acres of land sufficient to arrange for a temporary DGP office for the residual state.

“Naidu is keen on projecting this area as a capital even before the panel recommends its own capital city. We, on our part, urged our president to invite soon-to-be prime minister Narendra Modi to the swearing in ceremony to help project Guntur as the capital to the PM, whose decision on this issue will have a bearing in funding the project,” TDP Krishna district leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said.

Party sources said Naidu’s decision to fast-forward the process of shifting the capital to Seemandhra was inspired by the landslide victory of the TRS in Telangana and the aspiration of the people to get on with their lives. 

“Already several Telangana employee groups have expressed displeasure over sharing office space with Seemandhra employees. Hence, it is better that we move out at the earliest,” APNGO chief Ashok Babu said. A group of IAS officers and other experts have already met Naidu and it is understood that they all recommended for an early shifting of headquarters to Seemandhra.

Meanwhile, Naidu, along with a few MLAs, met Governor E S L Narasimhan on Monday. Telangana CM designate K Chandrasekhar Rao also met the governor and requested him to ensure sufficient number of IAS officers to his state.