The state of Andhra Pradesh has finally got its new capital. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Andhra Pradesh’s new capital Amaravati at a spectacular event arranged by the state government on October 22 (Vijaya Dashami) in Guntur district.

With soil (puttamatti) from 16,000 villages and 3,000 wards, sacred water and soil from all holy rivers of the world and India, the proposed site for the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region (Amaravathi) got a sprinkling of good vibes on Wednesday. Water and soil was collected from Golden Temple of the Sikhs, Vaishnodevi shrine of the Hindus, Ajmer Dargah, Mecca, Jerusalem, Mansarovar, and from the Bangarubaavi in Tirumala.  Also from the birth places of great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, B R Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru, the soil was collected. The idea is to promote a sense of belongingness among the people. At 12:45 pm on Thursday, the foundation stone for the state’s new capital, Amaravati was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Why Amaravati?

Amaravati, situated in Guntur district, was once the seat of power of Satavahana rulers.  It has a long history of being rich of culture and heritage. It has been a center of pilgrimage to both Hindus and Buddhists. Apart from the historical and cultural importance, the city is also centrally located and easily accessible from north, south, coastal districts and the Rayalaseema region.

In fact, Amaravathi was chosen as the new capital region of Andhra Pradesh due to its unique location which covers some 30 villages between two developed cities, Vijayawada and Guntur. For, this is the only place where the Krishna flows north instead of east or south — considered an extremely auspicious occurrence. According to Information Minister, Dr P Raghunatha Reddy, the spot is also vastu-compliant and has positive vibes.

The availability of contiguous terrain and the willingness of a majority of farmers to give up their land were the two other major reasons why this region was chosen.

The Master Plan for Amaravathi – AP’s Capital City:

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu unveiled his vision of a grand capital that would, he said, match the world’s great cities in aesthetics, infrastructure, liveability, connectivity, and as the seat of e-governance and administration. Amaravati is envisaged to be developed as smart, green and sustainable city which will be a symbol of pride for the people of Andhra Pradesh and India. The three layered (seed capital, capital city and capital region) master plan for ‘Amaravati’ has been prepared by Singapore government agencies— Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, and Surbana.

Construction of the seed capital development area will start soon as the foundation stone has laid on Thursday. AP CM, Chandrababu Naidu has promised that it will be a world-class and ‘people’s capital’ with extensive, open green spaces which add value to the urban ecosystem. The city will be spread over 54,000 acres, covering 16.7 sq km and in 10 years will have the AP Legislative Assembly, Legislative Council, Secretariat, High Court, Raj Bhavan, quarters for the ministers and officials, and the township for government officials .

Land Acquisition:

The biggest plus point of the whole project is the new scheme devised to acquire the required land. According to a report in the CNBC-TV18, of the total required 54,000 acres, the government owns about 21,000 acres. Over 23,000 farmers in 29 villages own the balance. According to The Indian Express, the government has bought 31,000 acres from 18,000 farmers. The farmers are to get Rs 50,000 per acre per year for 10 years and also 1,250 sq yards of residential space and 200 sq yards of commercial space in Amaravati for every acre they gave up. The CNBC-TV18 report estimates that the land acquisition in the normal route would “have cost the AP government more than Rs 7500 crore and would have taken several years”.

Raising Funds:

As per the Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Act, the Centre would provide funds for construction of legislature buildings. Telugu Association of North America (TANA) is also raising funds for the development of the city through a ‘My Brick – My Amaravati’ campaign which accept donations from all non-resident Telugus.

The New Capital City has also started attracting the celebrities. Rumours are that Sachin Tendulkar has invested money to buy 100 acres of land in Mangalagiri. The rumors were fueled by Sachin’s presence in Vijayawada on August 1 to launch the PVP Mall, which will have 4.27 lakh sq feet of space, and Rs 125 crore has been spent on it.