Jagan questions Centre’s authority over Amaravati Bill
Vijayawada: Following the Lok Sabha’s clearance of the Amaravati capital Bill, YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy questioned the constitutional validity of the Centre’s role in deciding a state capital and launched a detailed critique of the Amaravati project and the government led by N Chandrababu Naidu.
Addressing a press conference at the party office, he said the Constitution does not define a “state capital” and only refers to “seats of governance.” He pointed out that the Union government had informed the Andhra Pradesh High Court through an affidavit that the choice of capital lies with the state.
Referring to the formation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in 2000, he said their capitals were decided by the respective States and not by the Centre, questioning the need for a resolution in Andhra Pradesh. He also alleged that the current exercise was a “diversion.”
Jagan raised serious concerns over the scale and cost of the Amaravati project. He said basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, drainage and water is estimated at Rs 2 crore per acre. At this rate, development of 50,000 acres would require Rs 1 lakh crore, while expanding the capital to one lakh acres would push the cost to Rs 2 lakh crore, excluding buildings. Jagan questioned expanding beyond 50,000 acres, saying funding for even the initial phase is unclear and warning delays would further escalate costs.
Jagan said Rs 5,335 crore (2014–19) and Rs 2,500 crore recently were spent against Rs 47,000 crore loans (Rs 13,000 crore drawn), alleging Rs 5,500 crore mobilisation advances without completion of works and warning a Rs 2 lakh crore project could take decades to completion.
Jagan alleged cost escalations and tender irregularities, citing Secretariat Tower-1 rising from Rs 932 crore to Rs 1,762 crore, Towers 3 & 4 from Rs 784 crore to Rs 1,545 crore, and the GAD Tower from Rs 554 crore to Rs 1,046 crore. Jagan said five towers would cost Rs 7,724 crore (52 lakh sq ft at Rs 12,779–Rs 14,795 per sq ft), far above Rs 4,500 in other cities. Jagan alleged Amaravati spending and Rs 3.37 lakh crore liabilities are forcing borrowing even for salaries, affecting welfare.
Jagan questioned Chandrababu Naidu’s claim that Amaravati is self-financing, asking why loans and state guarantees are needed and seeking details of land-sale revenues.
He also criticised the government’s handling of the legislative process, alleging that the Assembly resolution was being used to divert attention and pointing out that the Legislative Council had not been convened.
He said any law passed by the Assembly could be amended later, dismissing claims that the capital could be made permanent through legislation.
Jagan reiterated that YSRCP is not against Amaravati but opposes what he called an impractical, costly model, defending the three-capital plan with Visakhapatnam (executive), Kurnool (judicial) and Amaravati (legislative) for balanced development.
He also proposed an alternative development model linking Machilipatnam, Vijayawada and Guntur as a capital region corridor, arguing that with significantly lower investment, existing infrastructure could be leveraged to create an economic growth engine for the state.
