Expert committee on capital report final, says AP government

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government will proceed as per the report of an expert committee on the state's capital and put it up to the cabinet, Municipal Administration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana said amid a raging debate over setting up three capitals in the state.

"Amaravati region will be transformed as an educational hub," said the minister, "the assembly and Raj Bhavan will remain here." He said that the government was not in a position to construct the capital city with Rs 1 lakh crore.

The minister said that the promises made by the previous government would be fulfilled and developed plots in Amaravati would be handed over to farmers. Referring to reports that said his colleague and minister Peddireddi had hinted about returning excess land, Botsa Satyanarayana said he had spoken only about the assigned land.

Botsa said heritage land had been purchased two months before establishing the capital city and TDP leaders had looted public money for benefitting their relatives.

He said that the chief minister's camp office will be in Vijayawada. The government will make use of the land acquired, he said. "What about the development of the remaining 12 districts if the development is restricted here?" he asked, stressing that people's welfare was important to the government.

Talking to media at Amaravati on Friday, he said that the government would work for the comprehensive development of the 13 districts in the state. The previous government had not considered Sri Krishna and Siva Ramakrishna committee reports, he said.