Capital fight: AP nominates two bureaucrats to file counter-affidavits in HC

Vijayawada: The AP government has nominated two bureaucrats to file counter-affidavits on behalf of all the departments against the writ petitions filed in the High Court.

The government stated that it had appointed bureaucrats because the petitioners are marking multiple departments as respondents in the writs filed in connection with APCRDA Repeal Act, 2020 and AP Decentralisation Act, 2020.

Municipal Administration and Urban Development secretary J. Syamala Rao was nominated as the “authorised signatory” on behalf of all the departments, including the Chief Secretary. In case, Mr Syamala Rao is on leave, V. Rama Manohara Rao, IRAS, Special Secretary to MAUD, will take charge.

Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan approved the contentious Three Capitals Bill on July 31. The Governor also gave assent to the Bill to scrap the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).

It may be recalled that the Assembly Secretariat had sent two Bills to the Governor for his approval two weeks ago. One Bill sought to decentralise the administration by establishing three capitals – the executive capital in Visakhapatnam, the legislative capital in Amaravati, and the judicial capital in Kurnool. The other Bill sought to abolish the CRDA that was created during the Telugu Desam Party rule to build the Capital in Amaravati.

After passing the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Act, 2014 ( CRDA), the AP government had issued directions replacing the CRDA with the Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Authority ( AMRDA).