Expert panel appointed by Union Home Ministry recommends against single capital for Andhra Pradesh

NEW DELHI: An expert committee appointed by the Union Home Ministry has recommended against a single capital for Andhra Pradesh though it had got the maximum number of recommendations for any one place in the Vijaywada-Guntur region to be selected as the state’s next capital.

The committee report says that out of 4,728 responses received, as many as 1,156 pitched for the new capital in the Vijaywada-Guntur region. Some of these 1,156 responses wished for the twin cities of Vijaywada and Guntur to both being the next capital. 663 other responses asked for Vijaywada as the new capital, while 507 responses were for Vishakapatnam.

Guntur, Kurnool, Ongale, Rajamundry, Danakonda and Tirupati got the next highest responses in their favour in that order, the committee report says. However, in a testimony to the utterly varied opinions on the issue, the report says as many as 1,037 responses pitched for a capital other than the above-mentioned cities.

This included as many as 118 other options, including a combination of two capitals like Vijaywada-Guntur and Kurnool, one capital in Rayalseema and the other in Andhra, a summer capital in Ongole and winter capital in Kurnool, two capitals to be built as new cities near the Polavaram Dam Project and Somasila Project, and even an option to change the capital every 3 years.