Hours after the pro-YSR Congress party media house Sakshi carried a story that the Centre had rejected the proposal of the Chandrababu Naidu government in Andhra Pradesh to get legal status to Amaravati by amending the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the state government moved quickly to make changes in the draft bill.
According to the latest report, the state government sent a revised proposal to the Centre to amend Section 5(2) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, to officially designate Amaravati as the capital of the state with effect from June 2, 2024.
The request follows the state’s decision to accord statutory legitimacy to Amaravati as the sole capital. The initial proposal of the state government was to declare Amaravati as the state capital from 2014.
In a letter dated December 1, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sought clarification from the state government on the effective date from which Amaravati should be recognised as the capital, as it is not possible to give the status since 2014, when Hyderabad was announced as joint capital for Telangana and Andhra.
Responding to the query, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary has now written back, stating that the amendment should clearly specify June 2, 2024, as the date from which Amaravati shall be deemed the official capital of Andhra Pradesh.
The letter argued that the date is appropriate because the AP Reorganisation Act originally provided for Hyderabad to function as the common capital for both states for ten years, ending on June 2, 2024.
Based on the state government’s clarified proposal, the MHA is expected to prepare a Cabinet note shortly. Sources indicated that the amendment is likely to be placed before the Union Cabinet by the end of December.
The amendment bill could be introduced during the Budget Session of Parliament scheduled for February next year, according to information available with central officials.
If approved, this will settle a decade-long debate over the capital status of Amaravati and bring the Reorganisation Act in line with the state government’s current administrative framework.
