The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Bill, 2020, for the second time.
The two legislations were caught in a deadlock with the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) earlier blocking their passage in the Legislative Council.
Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath moved the AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill, 2020, while Municipal Administration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana moved the AP CRDA (Repeal) Bill and both were carried by voice vote without any discussion.
The AP Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Bill is intended to give shape to the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy governments plan of having three capitals for the state -- an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, legislative capital in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool.
The AP CRDA (Repeal) Bill was brought in as the government said it intended to constitute a new Amaravati Metropolitan Region Development Area under the provisions of AP Metropolitan Region and Urban Development Authorities Act, 2016.
The two Bills were passed by the Assembly in January this year but the TDP, which enjoyed a majority in the 58-member Legislative Council, stalled them in the Upper House and referred them to Select Committees for wider scrutiny.
Irked over the Council chairman's move, the Assembly also passed a resolution the same month, urging the Centre to abolish the upper house of the state legislature. The Centre is yet to take a decision on the state's request.
The Select Committees were never constituted as the Legislature Secretary allegedly refused to comply with the Council Chairman's orders. The issue is now pending before the High Court.
The High Court is also hearing a bunch of petitions against the government's move to relocate the state capital from Amaravati.
As per the Legislature rules, a Bill not cleared by the Council comes back to the Assembly after three months and after the Lower House clears it a second time, the Upper House will have a further one month time to pass it.
Since the four-month period expired on May 25, the YSRCP government brought back the two controversial Bills to the Assembly on the first day of the Budget session on Tuesday.
Both the bills have been tabled in the Council on Wednesday.
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