Our Special Correspondent
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh’s capital city is poised for a dramatic revival as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Amaravati on Friday to lay the foundation stones for a slew of mega infrastructure projects. These include both central and state-backed developments worth an estimated ₹1.01 lakh crore—marking a significant push to resurrect Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s vision of Amaravati as a world-class capital.
Chief among the announcements is the relaunch of the long-stalled residential quarters for ministers, IAS officers, and government employees, with a combined outlay of ₹43,000 crore. These projects, originally conceived during Naidu’s previous tenure, were shelved after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) lost power in 2019. That defeat followed Naidu’s political break from the BJP-led NDA, a move he has since described as a strategic blunder.
The return of the TDP-BJP-Jana Sena coalition to power at both the state and central levels has created a conducive political climate for restarting these ambitious projects. Naidu’s close coordination with the Centre appears to have paid off, with Modi personally leading the revival push.
“These are not just new buildings; they are symbols of a revived vision and restored trust,” said Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana, confirming that all revived projects will be executed under the reverse tendering mechanism to ensure transparency and cost efficiency.
The Prime Minister’s itinerary is packed. Beyond state infrastructure, Modi will also launch and inaugurate several key central government projects:
- A ₹1,500 crore missile testing range at Nagaya Lanka under DRDO
- The ₹293 crore Gunakar West to Malapa Gate railway line
- A Unity Mall in Visakhapatnam aimed at promoting local crafts and tourism
- National highway upgrades worth ₹3,680 crore, along with foundation stones for ₹3,176 crore more in new highway works
- Railway enhancements, including the Kazipet–Vijayawada third line (₹254 crore) and doubling works on the Guntur–Gunakar line via Panyam
Also involved are key departments such as Indian Railways, NHAI, DRDO, and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), bringing the central project tally alone to a staggering ₹57,962 crore.
This revival contrasts sharply with the previous YSRCP government’s decentralization plan, which sought to split the capital across Amaravati (Legislative), Visakhapatnam (Executive), and Kurnool (Judiciary). That proposal triggered years of legal disputes and uncertainty, leaving thousands of farmers—who had voluntarily pooled over 33,000 acres of land under Naidu’s land-pooling model—disillusioned.
In a symbolic outreach, Naidu met several of these small and marginal farmers on the eve of the PM’s visit, reaffirming their role as “architects of Amaravati” and inviting them to the foundation ceremony. “We began this journey together. We will complete it together,” Naidu said.
Tomorrow’s event marks more than a political victory—it is being positioned as a reclamation of a vision interrupted. Amaravati, once stalled in legal and political limbo, now stands to reclaim its destiny as Andhra Pradesh’s singular, integrated capital.
Please provide a graphic or map to accompany the revival of Amaravati capital infra project
