Amaravati's revival: Andhra farmers weave capital dreams, once again

The landscape of Amaravati is dotted with unfinished edifices: Skeletal frames of ministerial bungalows, judges' residences, govt offices, and other structures lie in varying stages of incompleteness

In the picturesque 20-km drive from Vijayawada to Amaravati, verdant farmlands beckon outsiders. Yet, as one approaches Amaravati, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, a different reality unfolds. Once envisioned as a modern metropolis with skyscrapers and greenfield infrastructure inspired by Singapore, Amaravati now stands abandoned, overrun by wild shrubs and unfinished buildings.
 

The landscape of Amaravati is dotted with unfinished edifices: Skeletal frames of ministerial bungalows, judges’ residences, government offices, and numerous other structures lie in varying stages of incompleteness. Reports indicate that 69 Union and state government institutions and 61 private institutions were under construction, their progress halted.
 

But the victory of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), led by N Chandrababu Naidu, in the recent Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls has reignited hopes for Amaravati.
 

At Velagapudi, near Tullur Mandal, farmers persist in their protests at a makeshift office of the Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee (JAC). For these farmers, the TDP’s victory is a beacon of hope. The National Democratic Alliance, including the TDP, Pawan Kalyan’s JanaSena Party, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, reduced the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress (YSRCP) to just 11 seats in the 175-member Assembly. Naidu’s first act upon taking office on June 14 was to reaffirm Amaravati as the state’s sole capital.
 

“This is a victory for the farmers of Amaravati,” declared Puvvada Sudhakara Rao, convener of the Amaravati JAC. “The new government must ensure that the capital city plan remains unaltered. Land was acquired through a pooling system, and farmers did not take a single rupee.”
 

The grand vision for Amaravati emerged in 2014, following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Faced with the challenge of designating a new capital, then-Chief Minister Naidu proposed developing Amaravati, encompassing Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, and Mangalagiri (VGMT).
 

The state enlisted renowned British architect Norman Foster to spearhead the design. A memorandum of understanding was signed with Singapore authorities, designating them as the Amaravati Development Partners (ADP). Surbana Jurong, a Singapore-based company, was brought on board for design aspects, while a consortium of Ascendas-Singbridge and Sembcorp took on the task of developing a seed capital area of 1,691 acres.
 

To secure land from farmers, the government introduced a land pooling scheme (LPS), offering a residential plot of about 1,000 square yards and a commercial plot of up to 450 square yards for every acre of land surrendered (1 acre equals to 4,840 square yards). Additionally, the scheme promised an annual crop compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre of wet agricultural land and Rs 30,000 per acre of dry agricultural land for 10 years.
 

“Around 29,000 farmers from 29 villages contributed 34,385 acres,” explained Rao. “Most of us were small and marginal farmers, with over 20,000 owning less than two acres. A significant portion, about 30 per cent, belonged to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”
 

Development works in Amaravati stagnated and land prices crashed after the previous Jagan Mohan Reddy government decided to have three capitals — Visakhapatnam as an executive capital, while Amaravati and Kurnool as legislative and judicial capitals.
 

Under Reddy’s administration, the Amaravati project suffered further setbacks when the World Bank and Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) withdrew their support.By 2019, approximately Rs 10,000 crore had been invested in Amaravati when the project was abruptly halted.
 

“We began staging sit-ins and hunger strikes. The government sought to suppress our agitation, imposing prolonged Section 144 restrictions and deploying police forces. Women farmers led many of these protests,” Rao recounted.
 

A 2021 compliance report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) highlighted that land acquired through the LPS remained unused despite an expenditure of Rs 2,244.94 crore. The report also noted that changing capital plans introduced uncertainty over contracts worth approximately Rs 28,047.82 crore.
 

During the election campaign, a movie titled Rajadhani Files, inspired by the events in Amaravati, was released. Now, with the farmers and Amaravati back in the spotlight, land prices have nearly doubled.

The victory has reinvigorated the community’s aspirations, as they look forward to realising the vision of a thriving capital on the banks of the Krishna River.