Andhra Pradesh to get new capital Amaravati today, Modi to inaugurate

Mangalore Today News Network

Amaravati, Oct 22, 2015:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital Amaravati in Guntur district today in a grand event that is expected to be attended by over four lakh people. The guest list includes mega star Amitabh Bachchan, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, several union ministers and top industrialists from across the country.

 

The function is being held at Uddandarayunipalem village on the banks of the river Krishna. The Prime Minister would spend about 90 minutes at the event during which he will perform the ’shila nyas’ for the capital city, about 40 kms from Vijayawada, the commercial capital of Andhra Pradesh.

The state government has also invited eminent personalities and foreign dignitaries for the event. Ministers and delegations from Singapore and Japan are also expected to attend the function. Singapore government agencies have helped in preparing the master plan for the city.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has personally invited the Prime Minister, several union ministers, Governor ESL Narasimhan and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Yesterday, in an interview to NDTV, he reminded the PM of the Centre’s promise to grant the state special category status, which was promised for the downsized state after Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to create new state Telangana last year.

Amaravati, situated in Guntur district, was once the seat of power of Satavahana rulers.

As per a call given by Mr Naidu, soil and water from 16,000 villages in the state and prominent pilgrim centres in the country have been brought to the capital region to be used in construction.

Yesterday, this soil and water was sprinkled over the area where the capital city is to be built in a symbol of collective participation in the launch of what is being described as "people’s capital".

While the Centre would provide funds for construction of legislature buildings as per the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act, the state government has plans to set up hubs of sports, entertainment and in other fields to promote economic activity, an official release said earlier.

More than 8,000 police personnel have been deployed as part of security arrangements for the grand event.

 

 

Courtesy: NDTV