The protracted debate over the location of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital has ended with the government choosing Vijayawada. The city was picked despite the concerns raised by the Sivaramakrishnan panel, set up to advise the government on the new capital, that land prices in the region would make it prohibitively expensive to locate the headquarters of the new state here. Its suggestion was to create three capital zones from where the state could be administered, and not to concentrate all the government infrastructure in one mega city.
The AP government seems to doubt the practicality of spreading out the capital, but it should not entirely reject the possibility of decentralising administration. Vijayawada could be the seat of government but the state’s administrative apparatus need not be concentrated in the city, which is already a large trade hub. Land in the fertile Krishna delta, where Vijayawada is situated, comes at a premium, and if the government is forced to acquire large tracts, it could drain the state’s finances. Having clusters of government offices across the state would help relieve the pressure on land and also satisfy regional aspirations for a share of government. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has already promised “decentralised development of the state with three mega cities and 12 smart cities”. He could transfer a part of the government to these cities as well. Information technology could help bridge distances and synchronise the functioning of departments.
