AP cabinet approves Capital Region Development Bill

Bill proposes to constitute a CRDA with 22 members

The  Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday gave its approval for the AP Capital Regional Development Authority (APCRDA) Bill proposed by the government for the development and regulation of the new capital city region in Guntur district.

The Bill proposes to constitute Capital Region Development Authority with 22 members under the chairmanship of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The authority will oversee the construction of  the new capital city, including the development of infrastructure in the region, based on a master plan and a special development plan, state information minister Palle Raghunatha Reddy said.

The authority will be assisted by a 30-member executive committee besides having powers to accord building permissions among other things.The government would notify the capital region area, which forms the jurisdiction of the authority.

Through this Bill the government would also seek to achieve a statutory status for the land pooling system being implemented for securing 30,000 acres for building the capital city, according to the minister. He, however, clarified that the elected local bodies that exist within this capital region will continue to enjoy the existing powers.

The new capital region authority will replace the existing Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri (VGTM) Urban Development Authority.

Among other things, the Cabinet also decided to conduct an inquiry into the alleged irregularities of barytes ore mining in Kadapa district apart from scrapping a previous government order, which had restricted the government income on it.