Will Earthquake prone Amaravati be a mega city?

Amaravati: The future of Amaravati as a mega capital city is once again in a dilemma. When Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s silence is creating confusion regarding the capital region, a recent report on earthquakes in India has come as a shot in the arm for the YSRCP government.

As far as Amaravati is concerned, Jagan is playing his cards close to the chest. He never uttered a single word on keeping Vijayawada as the capital region. His answer to a question on Amaravati when he was the Opposition Leader was also not definite. He evaded the question by saying that “it was a catch-22 situation”.

However, senior leader and Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development Botsa Satyanarayana raised the alarm in the capital region when it was inundated in recent floods. “Siva Ramakrishnan committee suggested that Vijayawada is not viable to be capital as it is a flood-prone area,” the minister told media. The committee was formed to decide the capital when the state was bifurcated.

Meanwhile, the government constituted an expert committee to decide the future of the capital. It also asked the committee to suggest measures for the comprehensive development of urban areas. The government has given it six weeks to submit its report.

Much to the relief of the YSRC government, IIIT Hyderabad, National Disaster Management Authority, and Government of India have jointly published a report on Earthquake Disaster Risk Index. The report declared that Vijayawada is a high-risk zone. The state government’s comment is awaited on the release.

When asked about his response on the report YSRCP MP Vijaya Sai Reddy told that he doesn’t want to comment on government policy. “It’s up to the government to take a final call on capital,” he concluded.

Prasad Reddy, a senior political analyst, told that the government seems to decentralise development. “There is no threat to Amaravati as capital. However, there may not be a megacity. Ten floors may replace the concept of 25-floor buildings. The administration will be there in this region, but the High Court might be shifted to Kurnool. Visakhapatnam may have a High Court bench,” Prasad Reddy told NewsMeter.

Also Read: https://newsmeter.in/big-goof-up-tdp-made-no-gazette-notification-on-amaravati-claims-botsa/