Amaravati (state capital) అమరావతి

Amaravati (state capital) అమరావతి

Amaravati is the proposed riverfront capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.^[5] It is located on the southern banks of the River Krishna in Guntur district.^[6] The new city will cover an area of 217.23 km²., within the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region.^[7] The foundation stone of the planned city was laid at Uddandarayunipalem village of Guntur district by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 October 2015.^[8] The cities of Guntur and Vijayawada are the major suburbs of the city.

Etymology

The new capital is named after the historic site of Amaravathi, known as a center of Buddhist culture that flourished from 400 BC to 1100 AD.^[10]

History

As per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (2014), Hyderabad became the capital of the newly formed state Telangana, following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati is thus being built to serve as the capital of Andhra Pradesh now that Hyderabad will no longer be located in the state. However, Hyderabad would remain the joint capital of both states for a period of time not exceeding ten years.^[11]

Foundation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone

The foundation for the city was laid at Uddandarayunipalem on 22 October 2015. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Telangana, Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao, the Japanese minister for economy trade and industry, Yosuke Takagi, and the Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran laid the foundation for the city.

Geography

It is to be built on 217.23 square kilometres (83.87 sq mi) of land in Guntur district, on the banks of the Krishna River. The city will be 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south-west of Vijayawada city and 24 kilometres (15 mi) north of Guntur City.^[12]

Governance

Amaravati and its region falls under the administration of Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority.^[13]

Planning

Phase–I of the new capital city will comprise 31 villages (including some hamlets) in three mandals viz., Mangalagiri, Thullur and Tadepalle.^[14] The construction of the new city would cost about $4 billion, with the central government contributing significantly. The current proposed site covers 30 villages spreading over 14,200 hectares. The city is supposed to be an example of a "smart city," with fibre optic connectivity and smart infrastructure systems.^[15]

Jurisdiction

The table below lists the villages and hamlets under their respective mandals that are a part of the capital city.^[16][17]

#	Thullur mandal	Mangalagiri mandal	Tadepalle mandal
1	Lingayapalem (including Modugulankapalem hamlets)	Krishnayapalem	Undavalli
2	Uddandarayunipalem	Nidamarru	Penumaka
3	Velagapudi	Kuragallu (including Nerukonda hamlets)	Tadepalle (M) (Part) (Nulakapet, Dolas Nagar etc.)
4	Nelapadu	Nowlur (including Yerrabalem & Bethapudi hamlets)
5	Sakamuru
6	Ainavolu
7	Malkapuram
8	Mandadam (Tallayapalem hamlets)
9	Venkatapalem
10	Ananthavaram
11	Nekkallu
12	Thulluru
13	Dondapadu
14	Abbarajupalem
15	Rayapudi
16	Borupalem
17	Kondarajupalem (De-Populated)
18	Pitchikalapalem

Note:

• M – Municipality
• The names in brackets are the hamlet villages of the respective settlement.