Bill to set up agency for building new AP capital cleared

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday approved a draft Bill for creating a body to be tasked with building the new capital of the state.

The Bill seeks to set up Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) with the Chief Minister as Chairman.

The TDP-led government has decided to build the new capital on the southern side of river Krishna, on 30,000 acres of land close to Vijayawada. It is negotiating with farmers and land owners in 17 villages to part with their land under a pooling system for building the riverfront capital.

CRDA will replace the existing Vijayawada-Guntur- Tenali-Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority and notify the capital area and the capital region besides preparing the master, concept plan and special development plans, said Palle Raghunatha Reddy, Information and Public Relations Minister, after a Cabinet meeting.

Briefing newspersons about the Cabinet decisions, he said the CRDA would build the new capital of Andhra Pradesh and also develop necessary infrastructure like roads, drains and drinking water supply system.

All permissions related to construction of buildings and other infrastructure in the capital region would be granted by the CRDA but the existing local bodies in the region would continue to exercise other powers vested in them.

The authority would also accord legal sanctity to the proposed land pooling system for the capital region, he said. The CRDA would be a 22-member body headed by the chief minister, while a 30-member Executive Committee would carry out the day-to-day activities.

The Commissioner of CRDA would be the convener of the Executive Committee. The government hasn't yet taken a decision on whether to promulgate an ordinance or enact a legislation in the next session of the Legislature for constituting the CRDA, according to the Minister.