Amaravati reborn: Chandrababu Naidu’s dream capital to get inverted lily-shaped assembly, 50-storey secretariat- details here
Every city tells its story through its architectural marvels, much like Charminar does for Hyderabad and Howrah Bridge does for Kolkata. Andhra Pradesh’s capital, Amaravati, will soon be joining the list with its inverted lily-shaped assembly building standing tall in the heart of the city.
Amaravati, also referred to as Praja Rajdhani or the “people’s capital” by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, will spread across 217.23 square kilometres along the left bank of the Krishna River in Guntur district.
The new capital project will be relaunched by PM Narendra Modi on May 2. Naidu’s dream of a modern capital was first launched after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, but construction stalled in 2019 under the YSRCP government led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. Now, with Naidu back in power, the long awaited development works will begin again.
State municipal administration and urban development minister P Narayana told ET, “Every city is identified with a building. The assembly tower will be an iconic building and with which Amaravati will be identified. The concept mooted by Naidu is that you can see a part of the government from anywhere in Amaravati.”
Amaravati City Plan Details
The Andhra Pradesh capital region development authority (APCRDA) shared details of the plan with the financial daily
- A 250 meters tall inverted lily assembly tower will be structured in the city, giving a 360-degree panoramic view of Praja Rajdhani and neighbour Vijaywada.
- The assembly complex will have a three floor building where the legislative assembly and council will be holding meetings, However, the second floor will be equipped with a visitors gallery, which will open up to the assembly tower.
- Since the assembly is in session for only about 40-50 days each year, it will remain open to the public for the rest of the time.
- The capital city will feature nine sub-cities, each with a unique theme, including one dedicated to the government. This government hub will house the assembly complex, the high court, the secretariat building, and four iconic towers known as the head of department towers.
- The secretariat building will stand 50 stories tall, while the four towers, each 42 stories high, will house all the major government departments.
However the biggest challenge before Naidu is how to settle this capital. Narayana said, “If you see Naya Raipur or Gandhinagar – all these capitals are deserted as people have not settled there. We have studied all these cities very carefully. At the outset, the CM has realised that the capital cities have to be engines of economic growth. This will happen only if there are industries.”
To address these concerns, the authority has also decided to set up non-polluting industries in the new capital.
