Govt sets up committee to recommend capital for residuary AP

Government has set up a five-member expert committee, headed by former Union Urban Development Secretary K Sivaramakrishnan, to recommend a site for the capital of successor state of Andhra Pradesh.
The expert committee has been constituted in the wake of creation of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
Hyderabad, which will be the capital of Telangana, will be the joint capital of the two states for ten years and within that period the residuary state will have to build a new capital.
The other member of the Committee are Rathin Roy, Director, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New Delhi, Aromar Revi, Director, Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bengaluru, Jagan Shah, Director National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi and K T Ravindran, former Dean, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

"Expert Committee to study the various alternatives regarding the new capital for the successor state of Andhra Pradesh and make appropriate recommendations," an order issued by the Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry S Suresh Kumar says.
The terms of reference of the committee include: To study various alternatives for locating the new capital of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh and evaluate their comparative suitability based on available data, site visits and consultations with the stakeholders, central government and the existing government of Andhra Pradesh and the successor state of Andhra Pradesh and submit its report by August 31.

To evaluate the possible alternatives and make appropriate recommendations based on the following considerations.

Availability of sufficient land water and other essential natural resources with due regard to the possibility of the reservation of degraded forest land.
Potential for connectivity by rail, road and air with various districts of the successor state of Andhra Pradesh and the present common capital of Hyderabad and other major cities of the region as well as the possibility to develop rapid mass transit systems within the city.
The committee, while making recommendations, will consider allied issues such as the least possible dislocation to existing agriculture systems as well as ensure minimum resettlement of people and their habitations.

Vulnerable assessment from natural disasters like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, assess the scope for minimising the cost of construction and acquisition of land, ascertain the availability of raw materials, skilled and unskilled labour etc., required for the construction of a new capital.