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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said that the government will soon create three distinct regional zones in the state for balanced development.
CM Naidu reportedly said that development would not be confined to any single region, while attending a public grievances programme at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP)’s headquarters in Mangalagiri on Saturday, November 29.
The three zones will be created around north Andhra, Rayalaseema, and the central coastal districts, according to The Hindu. Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Amaravati will serve as the headquarters for the three economic regions, Eenadu reported.
The previous YSR Congress Party government led by former CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had proposed to have three capitals for the state – Visakhapatnam in north Andhra, Kurnool in Rayalaseema, and Amaravati in the central coastal area – each with different functions, in the interest of decentralising governance and development.
This was challenged in court by farmers and landowners in Amaravati who protested the move, as they had given up land in the Amaravati capital region hoping to be compensated with developed plots with urban infrastructure and higher real estate value.
The YSRCP then withdrew its three capital bills from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, saying they would be reintroduced in a different form to withstand legal challenges.
With the TDP returning to power in 2024, it promised to revive the stalled development work in Amaravati and restore its status as the sole capital of the state.
Recently, TDP MP and Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani had said that the state government was working towards establishing the legal status of Amaravati as the state capital by having a Bill passed in the Parliament.